Web-based Computer Sharing

I recently learned about a web-based tool for gaining remote access to a computer.  Join.me allows a computer user to give another computer-user one-time access to his or her computer.  This is useful for helping a friend or family member with a computer problem or other similar scenarios, and you can use this for free!

Read this description from LifeHacker.

Recovering Deleted Files

So today I was uploading pictures from my SD card to my Mac.  When the upload completed, I chose the option to delete the pictures from the SD card.  Within 5 minutes, I had deleted a file from iPhoto, and I couldn't recover it.  I have access to forensic tools, but I thought that would be overkill for the simple recovery of a single file.  A quick google search led me to an article about 15 Free File Recovery Software Programs.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/tp/free-file-recovery-programs.htm

I chose the first recommendation - Recuva - and was happy to see that a tool can be free, easy to use and can get the job done quickly.  You can download Recuva directly from this link:  http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/gr/recuva-review.htm.

Current thoughts on The New iPad

After having used a new iPad for several months, I have a couple of comments:

• I love the camera.  The picture and video quality are incredible.
• I use a case with a bluetooth keyboard.  It's not perfect, but it does help when I need to type more than a few words.
• Do not update to iOS6.  I miss Google Maps, especially because Apple Maps does not include a street view.  Also, some of the bridges in the town where I work look like they have just survived an earthquake.  Kinda funny . . .
• I'm experiencing a problem with battery life.  I haven't had time to troubleshoot much, but I never experience a similar problem my 1st generation iPad, one that I still use.

Should you buy an iPad?  With rumors of the iPad Mini as well as the good reports from a number of Android tablets, it might be a good idea to spend time investigating your options before making a commitment.

Computer Threat with a July 9, 2012 Deadline

Here is another verified threat.  It is a complicated story that involves FBI intervention, but that intervention stops on July 9.  Tech2 gives a good short summary:

http://tech2.in.com/news/web-services/fbis-cutting-off-internet-to-dns-changer-infected-users-on-july-9/301012

Digital Trends provides a good explanation of the problem:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/fbi-web-will-go-dark-for-350000-infected-internet-users-starting-july-9/

PCWorld also has a good article along with a "How to Tell you Have a Problem" section and a "What to do if You have a Problem" section:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/255137/protect_yourself_from_dnschanger.html

What is the bottom line?  Follow this link to see if you have a problem.  http://www.dns-ok.us/   If you do have the problem, the PCWorld article should help you find a solution.

SpinRite Hard Drive Recovery

Another Leo Laporte recommendation is SpinRite.  This tool will attempt to recover a hard drive by reading every sector and marking those which are bad.  In the process, if it can move data to good sectors, there is a chance that the hard drive might be salvageable and also a chance that the data might be recovered.

http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm

EaseUS Data Recovery

I heard about this on Leo LaPorte's podcast.  If you have access to forensic tools, this might not impress you, but for everyone else, this might be a good resource for recovering data on a hard drive after it has been deleted.

http://easeus.com/

Current Technology Scams

Please be mindful of technology scams.  They can cause harm to you or your computer equipment.  See below for current scams . . . 

Microsoft Support Scam 

From what I can tell, this scam was being used two years ago and has had a recent resurgence.  Below is an article reported this week on KKTV.com, a southern Colorado news station: 

Norma Charles recently got an alarming phone call from a man she said had a heavy accent. 

"I'm always a little bit wary. You hear about this all the time, and I said 'I’m not sure I trust you or not,'" Charles said. 

From the start she said she knew something was wrong. The man on the other end told her he was from Microsoft, and said that her computer might crash any minute. 

"He said ‘oh I’ll show you how bad it is,’" Charles said. 

The scammer directed her to a website (teamviewer.com) and from there, Charles said he just took over, controlling her mouse from his end of the phone. 

He told her he could fix the problem, but it would cost her more than $300. It was at that point Charles had enough and hung up. 

"I knew it, I knew it (was a scam) right away. I just kept telling him I didn't trust him (he said) ‘oh but you can I’m Microsoft,’" Charles recalled. 

Because of Charles’ limited mobility, she relies heavily on her computer to shop and get necessities. Although she didn't completely fall for this scam, she just wants everyone to be careful when getting calls like these. 

We contacted Microsoft about this incident and here's what they told us: 

“This is a known scam. Criminal organizations are using Microsoft's name to try to gain your trust. I can categorically confirm that neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls to help solve your computer problems. If you receive an unsolicited phone call that purports to be from Microsoft and requests that you send personal information, hang up the phone.” 

If you have already fallen victim to a scam, and feel that your computer's security may already be compromised, Microsoft provides a free security scanner that you can use to help identify and remove malicious software. We've linked below and to our homepage, just click on “Find It.” 

Smart Phone Scam 

I received this text message on my smart phone recently, and it stated the following: 

Dear Walmart shopper, Congratulations you have just won a $1000 Walmart Gift Card. Click here to claim your gift. www-VIPwmart-com STOP2end 

The part of the message close to the end was an actual link, and I'm sure it lead to malware for smart phones.  The message was received this morning by several staff members.