Checklist for buying a new computer
Buying a new computer isn’t something that a lot of people give much time to, yet the decision is with you for the next 2 – 5 years depending on your hardware refresh rate. There are a number of questions you can ask yourself that will give you a very quick idea of what you need.
Praise be, it’s Windows 8.1
Tomorrow at 11am GMT Windows 8.1 optional update to Windows XP will roll out. While it’s got a load of new usability promised and is rumored to be more service rich (not the good kind the kind that crashes things unfortunately!) the main positive is the return of the ‘start’ bar.
RansomWare what to know…
RansomWare is a type of malware that infects a computer and restricts it’s usage until you pay a ‘ransom’. In the case of CryptoLocker that ransom is either USD $100 or $300 depending on the variant. This particular strain encrypts all common files (word processor, spreadsheet etc) that the infected computer can access, this includes server shared folders and Dropbox shares. The only known way to decrypt is by paying the ransom or resorting to backups to restore the files from previous instances.
Windows XP Retirement
There are a lot of users who when they hear this first ask what do I care? I’ve never rang Microsoft for support before why would I need to all of a sudden. But this isn’t the issue, support comes in many forms and for an operating system that’s been around since October 2001 the majority of the support is in the form of patches, be they for additional functionality or security.