(Un)check this out!

Friends, Arkansans, Countrymen, lend me your ear.  Actually your eyes.  No, your attention.  Anyway, what I’m getting at is that I hope you’ll read the following blog.  As you may know, the bane of ANCTech’s existence is generally considered to be malware of all types.  Trojans, adware, viruses, the whole ball of wax.  Even though ANC has Symantec Security, there are still ways for malware to invade your computer.  Mostly it involves opening a channel to the internet from the local computer which then allows various nastinesses to load on your computer. 

You may ask, “But ANCTech, how can that happen and what can I do to stop it?”  I’m glad you asked.

Many times, when a software is downloaded (which is highly recommended to NOT do) it will attempt to install additional programs as well.  Most of the time, there will be a checkbox that is checked by default.  Uncheck it.  Whatever it is, no matter how cool or innocuous it sounds, uncheck it.  The most common add-on software is an Internet Browser Toolbar.  Specifically, MyWebSearch, Yahoo, Google, and Bing are probably the most commonly seen. (These have been covered before, but we all need a little repetition.)  Don’t allow them to install.  You don’t need them…really…you don’t.  The more miscellaneous ‘stuff’ that gets installed on your computer the less secure it is. 

The rationale for this is that free software makes money through advertising.  The original software you’re downloading may be fine, but don’t trust the advertisers.  Ever!  If a program is trying to piggyback on another software, its sole goal is to make money off of you, one way or another. (I’ll skip the methods as TMI for this subject.) (You’re welcome, it could have gotten boring.)  (What do you mean, “Too late?”)  (Oh no!  I’m caught in another parentheses loop!) Ctrl-Alt-Break.

So, to summarize.  If you’re downloading software (double-plus unrecommended) pay attention and uncheck any options for allowing the whiz bang toolbars or other gadgets to install.

Let’s review from the ANCTech blog: Don’t click the link, backup your data, ease up on the junk mail, visit scan.anc.edu occasionally, use the Trouble Ticket Reporting System, uncheck any checkboxes of which you’re unsure, and call if you have leftovers. EOL.

Happy Computing.

Trouble Ticket Reporting

Did you know that ANC has a trouble ticket feature available through the portal?  According to a recent survey, apparently several people are still unaware of it.  Our bad, we thought everyone knew.  It greatly simplifies reporting computer problems or scheduling installations.  Plus, it’s super easy and just loads of fun!  Here’s what you do.

Log into the portal and look for the “MITS Trouble Ticket” tab.  Click on it. (This is very important.)  There will be a list with the current month’s trouble tickets listed below.  For Example, April Trouble Tickets.  Click on that and you will see a list of all the tickets for the month.  Look to the right and you will see a link titled, “Add a Thread,” which, when clicked will open a view very similar to a basic email message.  There is a subject line and a message body.  Just fill in a basic category for the subject line and put as clear of a problem description as possible in the message body.  Click Save.  That’s it.  The more precise the message, the better able we will be to route the problem to the correct ANCtech to solve it.  An example: 

Subject:  Rats everywhere.   Message:  There are rats all over my office and they chewed up my computer cables and now I can’t print.

Again, that’s just an example.  Can we rid your office of rats?  No, we’re terrified of rats.  Snakes too, for that matter.  We’re not coming anywhere close to rats or snakes.  Well, possibly if there’s pizza involved, as long as it’s not rat-chewed.  But I digress.  The point is, we can fix most printer problems, but we need to notified in a way that helps us remember.

We try to be as accommodating as possible, but if you report problems when you see us in the hallway there’s a good chance we’ll forget.  We have giant brains, of course, but they’re mostly full, so we need a reference point…hence the Trouble Tickets.  This also allows us to check each other in case we forget to  share the information.  It’s also a major point of our assessment, so we’ll try extra hard to respond quickly.

One last thing.  When you have problems, we’ll get there as quickly as possible.  However, if you have something that needs to be done and you know ahead of time, the more lead time you can give us the better.  We can schedule things if we’re notified a week in advance much better than if we have to drop everything to install something that has to be done in 2 hours.  We know emergencies happen and information gets delayed, but if you do know early, please try to let us know.   With enough time to plan, we’ll even face rats.

Happy Computing,

ANCTech

Quick and easy spyware removal

Does your computer run slower than it used to?  Does it frequently lock up?  Do you suspect spyware?  If you are an ANC employee or a student connecting on the ANC wireless network, you can access the Spyware removal that is built into our Barracuda Web Filter.  Barracudas are sweet, lovable, little fishies that take good care of their other little fishy friends.  (I think.)  Any device named after so lovable a creature will surely take good care of you and your computer.  Here’s what you do.

Open a web browser and go to the site http://scan.anc.edu and it will launch the Barracuda Spyware Removal Tool.  Click on the button for Barracuda Spyware Removal Tool and it will open a window asking “Do you want to run or save this file?”   Select Run.  At this point you may have to select Allow if Windows asks for permission to run the file.  After allowing it you will go to the Spyware Removal Tool page, once there select Scan.  When it finishes, click Select All, and click Remove.  That should remove anything the Barracuda finds.  If Barracuda doesn’t like it, we don’t like it.  Make it gone.

This is a quick and easy first step to keeping your PC healthy and functioning properly. 

Happy computing,

ANCTech

Google is now a verb

Yes, we’ve all ‘googled’ stuff.  Some of us quite regularly and couldn’t function without it in our daily grind.  In case you just got back from a trip through space and time, ’googling’ is searching the internet through the use of www.google.com, but I think everyone knows that by now.

Why is it relevant to this blog?  Because the rant/tip/gripe/advice of the day (or week/month/semester…it’s been a while) is on search bars.  Not the online search engines like Google, Yahoo, et. al., but the downloadable, cute, little add-ons that clutter up your browser, your computer, and likely your soul.  (Note: no verification on the soul part, but who can resist good hyperbole, right?)

Two examples are AskSBar and My Web Search.  Why are they horrible?  Because they install unnecessary programs on your computer. (That’s horrible enough from a tech perspective.)  There’s no need to have three or four bars added onto your web browser.  It slows down the browser, opens a channel for malware infections, shrinks your available screen space, and doesn’t really accomplish anything.  Seriously, if you feel the need for these or a similar program, you’re just not trying.  Use Google, or Yahoo, or Dogpile.  Do you have to save the three seconds required to open another browser page?  No.  Do you need all the cutesy icons to launch your email?  No.  They’re useless eye candy that slows down your system, may or may not lead to malware/virus infections, and add no functionality.  If you think they do, you just need to learn better ways to do thing.  Really.  We’ll help, just ask. 

In short, if you want these things on your home system, great.  It’s a free country and you can do whatever you want.  (However, I’d recommend being buddies with a tech who can come clean off all the corruptions somewhere down the road.)  If you install them on your work PC, we’ll find you.  We techs see eeeeeverything.

Happy computing.

Back to the old grind.

The end of summer quickly approaches, and I thought an update on ANC Tech projects might be in order.  While faculty and students have been going to the beach, amusement parks, and touring blues clubs, your friendly neighborhood techs have been hard at it all summer. 

The most noticeable upgrade took place in the Burdette Nursing lab.  We completely re-wired the lab, reconfigured it, and replaced the old PCs with shiny new ones.  It is much more functional now.  Random failures to boot should be a thing of the past.

We also upgraded the Learning Assistance Center with new computers, so everything over there should be quicker and cleaner.

Several other projects are still in progress.  We are currently setting up Adult Education in the ‘G’ building.  They are getting an upgraded computer lab among other things.  We are awaiting the arrival of the equipment to set up wireless hotspots around campus.  Yes, you read correctly.  Sometime in the next few weeks, Wi-Fi will be available in the Outback, the library, and the former Kid’s Kollege with some spillover to other areas.  As always, some faculty and staff will be getting replacement PCs.  Those should start arriving in your offices during the first few weeks of classes.

Now the news that will affect everyone.  The new email system will be online by the time we reconvene.  Every employee will have an email address  name@smail.anc.edu.  This is a web accessible client, so you can check your ANC email anywhere.  That’s right, we’ve made it easier for you to work all weekend!  Be sure to thank Ruby and Carol. 

End of line.

Let me ask you a question.

In several professions it’s just accepted that you will be asked work related questions at any time.  Doctors always get to hear about people’s aches and pains and see their rashes.  Financiers will be constantly asked their opinions on the stock market.  Techs get the computer questions.  That’s what I’m going to talk about.

The questions can take any form, but one that we commonly hear is:  “I’m buying a new computer, what should I get?”  This is often in conjunction with, or followed by, “Is HP or Dell better?”  “How many gigs do I need?”  “How does wireless work?”  “How fast a processor do I need?”  We try to help;  after all, computer techs are the salt of the earth and the most helpful, giving creatures ever created.  However, even we have our limits.  Our limits usually consist of not being psychic to know what you need.

For the edification of my readers, I will undertake the task of providing a few common sense answers that may or may not help.  Just remember two things:  1) This is free advice.  2) You get what you pay for.

For instance, HP or Dell or (insert any random brand here)?  I usually respond, “Ford or Chevy?”  It’s basically the same question.  In the case of computers or trucks (or toasters or TVs etc.) the vast majority work great and never give the owner a lick of trouble.  However, there are lemons in every brand of every device manufactured.  Most likely, it won’t matter.  Computers are very nearly, if not already, commodities.  That means there’s very little differentiation between the brands.  Of course, some people are fanatical that one brand is better than another.  This usually comes from the tech’s experience with the brand(s) he or she has encountered at work.  Keep in mind, the business models we’re familiar with are not the same as the consumer models which you will be buying.  Just look for the best deal and you’ll be fine.  Probably.

How many gigs of what?!?  Seriously!  I’ve heard that question!  Make sure you have at least 2GB of RAM, more is better but probably not necessary for most users.  If you have no idea what advantages would be gained, you don’t need it.

Hard drive space is more critical.  Most PC packages have around a 250GB hard drive and that’s “probably” fine.  If you’re going to do movie editing, desktop publishing, or crazy amounts of photos, upgrade the drive.  Hard drive space is a cheap upgrade and usually worth the money.

As for what kind of processor, don’t worry about it.  Just get whatever comes with the PC and sleep well at night.  If you’re running a high CPU demand specialty application such as graphic rendering or CAD/CAM, max it out.  Otherwise, you’ll never notice the difference between one CPU and another.

As far as setting up your router, either wireless or wired, just get the one your internet service provider sends and follow the directions.  The directions are designed to be very simple and straightforward.  Don’t worry about how it works, it involves a lot of  magic.  Step one will tell you how to plug it in.  There might even be pictures.  Follow the proceeding steps in order (a lot of people actually miss the “in order” part) and soon you’ll be surfing the web looking for a new ANCTech blog.

I’ve got to start making these things shorter.

Happy Computing.

It’s an inbox, not a dumpster!

 The title refers to the concept that junk belongs in a dumpster, not your email inbox.  Most people don’t have time for all of the junk email that circulates at work.  Some do, and if you are one of these lucky ones, by all means, watch the 12 MB PowerPoint slide shows with inspirational phrases and captions and circles and arrows explaining what each slide represents.  For the rest of us, it’s a bit much to be locked into some slow moving piece of uselessness.

Junk mail can come in any form, depending on your circle of online friends:  religion, porn, songs, videos, or any email that has a huge file attached.  Studies have determined that over 95% of all email falls into the junk email category.  This includes not only spam, but also jokes, inspirational messages, and anything else you might be forwarding to your friends.  If your friends enjoy it, that’s between you and them.  God bless you both.  However, if you forward some huge thing to somebody who never sends huge things out themselves, never responds to your huge attachment with a ”that was cute” or “thanks”, then they are probably just deleting them and being annoyed. 

While I’m on it, if an email says something special will happen if you forward this message to 10 people, it won’t.  Really, it just won’t.  Email doesn’t have that capability.  There is also no magical email tracking program that allows Bill Gates to send you money if you’re the five thousandth forwarder of the message.  Really, those testimonials at the end are what we in the tech business call…a…lie.  Seriously, do you think Microsoft Bill, or any other company for that matter, is going to give away money at random?  If a company gives something away it’s to generate future business, either directly or indirectly.  There’s no other reason. 

Email has no authority.  That means you don’t have to forward it just because it tells you to.  In fact, if it tells you to, that’s normally a good indication that you shouldn’t.  Here’s a quick test.  If you are thinking about forwarding an email message to your closest friends, ask yourself, “Would ANCTech be happy to receive this?”  If the answer is ‘no’, go ahead, they might like it.  But, if the answer is “Oh, hell no!” you might want to rethink hitting the send button.

Anyway, why does all of this matter?  To IT departments that’s a lot of added overhead to email systems, spam filters, routers, switches, bandwidth and overall reaction time.  To you and everyone else, it makes everything just a shade slower.  Think of it as traffic on the information highway and let’s all try to make rush hour a little less crowded.

Happy computing.

Backup, we don’t need no stinking backup!

That’s true, iff (that’s if and only if) you don’t need your data.  Here’s another rule for you.  Computers lock up.  There are no exceptions. You can have the most reliable PC, running the bare minimum of programs, perfectly maintained, and flawlessly secured, and you will still have lockups at some point.  (Why?  I’ll be doing a rant on that subject another day.  It deserves an entry of its own.  For now, just accept on faith that any computer you work on will have a problem at some point.)

Now consider that most computers have a metric buttload of background programs running at any one time and may not have had any preventive maintenance done since they were new.  Given that simple fact, the frequency of lockups increases geometrically.  (Maybe only arithmetically, but geometrically is so much more dramatic.)  (“Rhett, Rhett, things are getting geometrically worse.”  “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a”…oh never mind.)

Anyway…a good example can be found in the ANC Computer Lab PCs.  We try to keep them perfectly maintained, updated, secure, and functional.  However, there are a lot of PCs on campus, and only so many techs to go around.  (Plus, we’re always getting distracted by food or corresponding with Nigerian princes.)  Every morning, they are booted clean and returned to their pristine state.   However, there are a LOT of programs necessarily installed for classes, testing, and improving your overall computing experience.   The PC I’m blogging on has 23 processes and 81 services currently running under Microsoft Vista.  See where I’m going with this?

In the student computer lab last week, a student was typing a paper with the sole intention of printing it out.  Guess what happened.  Correctamundo!  It wouldn’t print.  It was a fairly simple solution, but required shutting down the PC.  When you shut down a Lab PC, all data is gone when it boots back up.  That’s part of the security I mentioned.  Therefore, saving a copy on the hard disk is not an option.  So, I asked if she had a copy on her flash drive.  “Uh, I think I left it at home.”  There could be a worse response, but I don’t know what it is.  Anyway, I found a disk, saved her file, printed it, and there was a happy ending.  This is the exception, not the rule! If you are working on a PC that clears the hard drive on reboot, for Pete’s sake, bring a flash drive!  At least get a floppy disk.  Gosh!  There are also occasional power issues so it could just suddenly go off.  Just…off.  Everything gone, do not pass Go do not collect $200.

If you want to be assured of keeping your data, make sure you have a backup.  Saving to the hard disk is not a backup.  That’s a local copy.  Make a copy on your flash drive or burn it to CD.  Better yet, do both.  I keep one on my flash drive and, if it’s important, email myself a copy at my Yahoo email account.  That way, I have one backup with me and another stored in some giant server farm in cyberspace.  I assume the CIA has a copy, too, but they won’t return my emails.  Kidding!  Just about the CIA part, though.

If you call a tech because your computer crashed and ask if he can recover your data, guess what he’s going to ask first?  Correctamundo!  “Do you have a backup?”  If your answer is no, then his answer will be, “probably not.”  We’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up.  If you say, “why yes, I regularly back up all of my data” then you will immediately be moved to the top of the list of the technician’s favorite customers…right behind the customers with pizza.

Back it up!

Will Work for Food

Did you ever see a bunch of computer technicians galloping en masse down a hallway?  If so, chances are good that there is food at the destination site.  Yep, something about being a tech brings an appreciation of, and extraordinary desire for, free food…especially junk food.  The phrase, “there’s pizza left from the lunch meeting” has approximately the same effect on techs that the phrase “there’s free money” has on AIG executives.  We come a runnin’!!!

If you have computer problems and have pizza, hot wings, cake, cookies, finger sandwiches, etc. you will not only have a tech at your system immediately, he’ll bring friends.  They’ll all bring friends, too.  Your office will look like a Star Trek convention in approximately 15 seconds.  Plus, since they feel guilty about their Pavlovian response to leftovers, they will get your system working quickly…so they can get to the food, of course.

At a software publishing company years ago, there were three guests of the owner, and an assistant picked up plate lunches for them.  When the lunches arrived, they were placed in the lunchroom, and the assistant went to alert the visitors.  When they arrived approximately five (5) minutes later, there was nothing but scraps left.  Kind of embarrassing.  Should have been expected.  In a building full of programmers, technical support, and R&D people, some innocent techs wandered in, saw food, and devoured it. (True story, by the way.)

The above situation is basically the same as leaving an unguarded baked ham sitting on a low counter with a Labrador Retriever in the room.  If you’re not guarding it, it must be his. (Woof woof means: My ham!!! My ham!!!)  Same rules apply.  Food (especially leftovers) unguarded, and unlabeled equals fair game. 

The average tech can smell hot wings being opened at a distance of approximately one mile…farther if we’re downwind.  Regardless of being sedentary and unconditioned, we can then cover the distance at a speed that gives rise to teleportation rumors.   In fact, the land speed record was set by a tech from Texas who was told that there was pizza left over from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders luncheon.  He covered 1200 yards in a shade under 3 seconds.

Okay, maybe I made up that last part.

You won the U.K. lottery!!!

No.  You.  Didn’t.

And that’s too bad, because your U.S. Bank account needs to be reactivated due to a technical glitch.  No. It. Doesn’t.

But that’s okay, because a Nigerian prince will pay you handsomely to help him transfer money into the U.S.  No. He. Won’t.

Did you enter the U.K. lottery?  Do you have an account at U.S. bank?  Do you have any contacts with Nigerian royalty?  I didn’t think so.

We’ve all seen similar emails, and they are all bogus.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  They constitute examples of what is referred to as “phishing.”  Phishing is an attempt to dupe unsuspecting victims into divulging personal information that can then be used in identity theft.  There will always be an official sounding link to click on (DON’T CLICK ON THE LINK!!!), often, there’s an offer of huge monetary gain, and they frequently masquerade  as notices from banks. 

Phishing falls under the broad category of “social engineering” which is, in its simplest form, a way to get people to part with sensitive information.

Why do people engage in social engineering?  Can’t they just hack into my computer and take all of my sensitive data?  No, not really.  We all fear the hyper intelligent misfit who can access our computers at will and obtain any personal information he so desires, right?  Truth is… it’s not really that easy, regardless of what the movies portray.  If it was, there would be no online commerce.  Period.  For each misfit as described, there are “hunnards and hunnards” (that’s several hundred) of hyper intelligent people employed by the computer industry making sure that your personal data is safe.  It takes a lot of smart people with good resources to design and build firewalls, security programs, encryption algorithms, etc.  Overall, they do a really good job. 

No, on the whole, your data is mostly safe.  There are exceptions, of course, but the weak point in security is almost invariably the user.  Human nature is no secret; most people, left to their own devices, are greedy and lazy.  Social engineering scams take advantage of that.  If someone sends out a “too good to be true” offer the vast majority of people will see through the obvious scam.  However, someone, somewhere, will be overcome by greed and and easy fortune (see Madoff, Bernie, if you doubt) and click on the link.  Boom, their identity’s been stolen. 

Alternatively, social engineering also takes advantage of the fact that people are conditioned to accept authority at face value.  Hence, bank notices saying “click on the link” are often followed automatically.  Doubt it?  Look at the Milgram experiment. http://www.new-life.net/milgram.htm  Bzzzz.  AHHHHH!!! 

Sorry this was so long, it kind of got away from me.  It’s that important.  Anyway, don’t be the weak link in your personal security and remember, DON’T CLICK ON THE LINK!!!

Happy computing.