My Health Update

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My Health Update

Wasn’t sure where to put this but I’ve been going through lots of health issues recently and trying to keep on working which has helped me, as so many of my customers / friends and my family have been so helpful and kind and so many nice words on my Facebook page

 

I have a rare condition called Dermatomyositis that can come with Cancer but today that looks to have been taken out of the equation so I’m cancer free and so happy I had to post something…

 

The condition I have will require me to be on lots of medication and many for life or a very long time but I feel I can now handle that so much more easily knowing that Cancer as been ruled out

 

Cancer runs in my side of the family so this is really big for me

 

I’ll be back on form and fixing computers from Friday morning when I’m allowed to drive again

 

Thanks again for all your support and understanding


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Intel CPU’s Meltdown and Spectre Bugs

Serious security flaws that could let attackers steal sensitive data, including passwords and banking information, have been found in processors designed by Intel, AMD and ARM.

The flaws, named Meltdown and Spectre, were discovered by security researchers at Google’s Project Zero in conjunction with academic and industry researchers from several countries. Combined they affect virtually every modern computer, including smartphones, tablets and PCs from all vendors and running almost any operating system.

Meltdown is “probably one of the worst CPU bugs ever found”, said Daniel Gruss, one of the researchers at Graz University of Technology who discovered the flaw.

Intel has begun providing software and firmware updates to mitigate these exploits,” Intel said in a statement, denying that fixes would slow down computers based on the company’s chips. “Any performance impacts are workload-dependent, and, for the average computer user, should not be significant and will be mitigated over time

All Mac systems and iOS devices are affected, but there are no known exploits impacting customers at this time,” said Apple in a blog post, in reference to the fact that although the security flaws make it possible to steal data using malicious software, there was no evidence to suggest that this had happened

The company advised customers to update their devices’ operating systems and only download software from “trusted sources such as the App Store”.

Google said that Android devices running the latest security updates were protected, including its own Nexus and Pixel devices, and that users of Chromebooks would have to install updates

What can I do about the Meltdown and Spectre flaws?

Users can do little to avoid the security flaws apart from update their computers with the latest security fixes as soon as possible. Fixes for Linux and Windows are already available. Chromebooks updated to Chrome OS 63, which started rolling out in mid-December, are already protected.

Android devices running the latest security update, including Google’s Nexus and Pixel smartphones, are already protected. Updates are expected to be delivered soon. Users of other devices will have to wait for the updates to be pushed out by third-party manufacturers, including Samsung, Huawei and OnePlus.

An update from Apple on what is needed for its Mac computers and iOS devices is expected.


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Happy New Year

I’d like to wish you all a Very Happy New Year

Lets hope 2018 is a great year

 


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Beware opening a scammer’s con this Christmas

Beware opening or taking a phonecall from a scammer’s con this Christmas

The ACCC is warning the community to be wary of scammers trying to ruin their Christmas holidays.

“Scammers often try to take advantage of people during the busy Christmas period and prey on our vulnerabilities at this time of year. For example, they may take advantage of you looking for a good deal on a family holiday, searching for a loved one’s present at an online store, or even that you’re expecting a present from someone through the post.”

Watch out for three common holiday season scams:

  • Travel scams: scammers trick their victims into believing they’ve won a travel prize or scored a really good deal on a travel package, like a cruise. Unfortunately these seemingly too-good-to-be-true holidays are nothing more than a scammer’s con. In the past 12 months, nearly $86,000 has been lost to this scam, with about 1750 reports.
  • Online shopping scams: scammers will set up believable looking online stores to trick people into goods that don’t really exist. They might also set up fake online classified or auction site listings. They entice people with legitimate looking discounts and may even advertise items as the perfect Christmas present for a loved one. This scam has cost Australians more than $1.3 million in the past 12 months, with more than 6440 reports.
  • Parcel delivery scams: with millions of packages moving across the country to get under a Christmas tree in time, scammers will send fake ‘missed delivery’ notices to potential victims. These scams are aimed at getting people to download malware or ransomware onto their PCs, which can be costly to remove; or steal their personal information. Scamwatch has received about 1700 reports of this scam in the past 12 months.

“Your personal information is often just as valuable to a scammer as your money so always be careful about the information you give out online,” Ms Rickard said.

“There are some simple tips you can follow to stay ahead of scammers these holidays.”

If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research on any online stores you’re using, especially if it’s for the first time. Never do a deal or make a payment outside the online auction site you are using. If you are buying from a classified website only hand over the money when you have physically inspected the goods. Finally, never open attachments or download files you receive out of the blue—no matter who the email comes from or how legitimate it looks,” Ms Rickard said.

Follow @scamwatch_gov (link is external) on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts to get up-to-date warnings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If unsure please hang up the phone or just delete the email or add it to your spam list

I’m always available to answer any questions if you feel you’ve been scammed

 

I can reset a compromised computer so it’ll be totally clear to use safely like it was before and give you advice so it won’t happen again!!

 

Never give them access to your computer

If you do and realise afterwards simply unplug the computer from the wall or shut down a laptop (hold down the power button for 5 seconds)

Never give them any personnel details ie date of birth

Travel prize scams

Travel prize scams are attempts to trick you into parting with your money to claim a ‘reward’ such as a free or discounted holiday.

Online shopping scams

Online shopping scams involve scammers pretending to be legitimate online sellers, either with a fake website or a fake ad on a genuine retailer site.


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Christmas is upon us once again

Computers and Laptops available in time for Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

Buy from me all setup fully updated to latest windows 10 all required software installed

 

Contact Howard for more details

Mobile: 0457585540

Business: 56658008

Buy yourself with my help/advice if required and I can do all the setup for you so on Christmas morning happy smiling faces

 

Custom wallpapers setup for the special day

 

 

 

 

 

 

All computers and Laptops setup with a full image recovery system and an easy 1 click backup to internal or external hard drives

 

I will be available over the Christmas Holidays for any issues you might have

 


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Beware of New Scams

New scams are appearing all the time

Keep an eye on the website scamwatch

Lots of new ones are coming in via emails

Speeding fines / traffic infringements

Be careful and if in doubt don’t open the email

Another reminder about phone calls

Telstra, Microsoft and many more company’s do not ring you to tell you about faults on your computers or offer technical support

Don’t let them on your computer remotely

If you do don’t panic when you realise its a scam just turn off the internet and call me for help

I’m available to offer advice if you get these phonecalls/emails

They sound very professional so be warned

If you start to question them they’ll normally hang up

But don’t stress yourself over them just hang up yourself


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771 million email addresses and passwords leaked

THE email addresses and passwords of 771 million people have been published online during a gigantic data leak.

Personal data collected by a “spambot” called Onliner has been dumped on a server thought to be located in the Netherlands.

This bot is designed to spread malware that steals banking details and infects people’s computers to pump out more viruses as well as vast amounts of spam — the name for the unwanted emails often sent by scammers.

Troy Hunt, who owns the website HaveIBeenPwned, said the leak was “the largest single set of data I’ve ever loaded into HIBP”

Click here to check your email

“Just for a sense of scale, that’s almost one address for every single man, woman and child in all of Europe,” he said.

Mr Hunt said the incident is so severe that even he was caught up in it.

He added: “The first place to start is with an uncomfortable truth: my email address is in there. Twice.”

Anyone whose email address is on the list is likely to be hit by a barrage of spam. If your email address is on the list, your account could be taken over and turned into a spam factory or used to distribute dangerous malware.


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If you need an Electrician Ryan’s your Man

Just wanted to give a few kind words for Ryan Knight who’s a great electrician

He’s helped me on several of my projects

He fitted out my custom workshop, electrics to my pool, my shed so many jobs he’s done in the house it’ll take me too long to write about them all

So if you require an Electrician please give Ryan a call 0424195705

Tell him Howard sent you


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End Of Financial Year Not Far Away

Its starting to get to the end of the financial year again and the next 30 days will be gone before we know it

Thinking of a Computer or Laptop upgrade well nows the time to start looking for a good deal

All the big stores will be having some great sales on

But buy wisely and don’t get drawn into buying what you really don’t need

Been offered multiple upgrades on a computer/laptop might sound great but do you actually need them?

Getting money knocked off a new purchase is what you want

Beware the offer for an Anti-Virus at a reduced price which will be for mulitple devices and much more than you’ll ever need, especially when a free anti-virus would do for most of us

I’m happy to discuss options whether buying from me or after advise to buy from elsewhere

I do offer a setup service to take the stress out of setting up a computer/laptop and transferring all your files back onto your new device and setup an easy backup system and if required I can then deliver and setup your network, printer and internet onsite

I do keep in stock Desktop PC’s and I have 2 built ready to go and 3 systems ready to build

I carry Intel Pentium’s, i3’s and i5’s with multiple options on each depending on your requirements

Laptops I only keep 1 in stock but can order in and setup in less than a day normally

My Stock laptop is a HP i3

 

So my advice is to plan early and don’t get caught out and mainly don’t miss out on some savings before the end of this financial year

Want any advice please feel free to contact me


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Windows 10 Creators Update

Windows 10, the Creators Update, has started to roll out as a free update. The Creators Update is designed to spark and unleash creativity, bringing 3D and mixed reality to everyone and enabling every gamer to be a broadcaster. Beyond creativity, it brings new features to Microsoft Edge, additional security capabilities and privacy tools, and so much more.

Just beware the update is quite large and if on mobile data you might use a lot of your monthly useage to get it

I’ve just recently made the move myself and so far so good

 

I’ll update with any issues I have in the future

But remember an old but wise saying

Don’t fix what isn’t broken

 

No rush to do the update


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