Off Topic Techy advice please!

Scullion said:
What would you recommend Toby. Luckily I have not had such a call, but now look forward too it.
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There are several variations of the scam.

1. Call to your landline: It's a cold-call, they have no idea if you own a PC or not. There is no reason for any Microsoft-related call. Ever. They don't have your contact details. If anyone calls you and says you have a virus, say you know what they're up to and threaten to sue them/call the police, the calls should stop :smile:

2. Browser popups: What Dave had. Nothing malicious, it's really just to trick the most unsavvy users. Closing the browser should be enough. Run a Malwarebytes/Superantispyware after just to make sure.

3. Cryptolocker attacks: All the data on your computer gets password protected and locked, and you generally can't even use your mouse. All you will see on the screen is a warning saying you need to pay X amount to retrieve your data. There's not much you can do apart from pay if you don't have backups, otherwise you can just reinstall your operating system and your PC will be fine.

Turning your PC off if you think you have a virus is a bad idea, as some virus only install/launch properly when you start your PC. Best thing to do is turn off your internet connection (wifi switch or unplug the cable) and run an antivirus. I'd recommend getting a large USB stick or external hard drive for photos or music, even most cloud-based storage is cheap nowadays. No point in spending money unless there's data you really can't afford to lose...
 
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To stop unwanted calls you could register with the TPS, we hardly get any and if you do you just threaten them telling them they are breaking the law and ask for their details to report them - after you have had some fun if you wish.
 
Scullion said:
To stop unwanted calls you could register with the TPS, we hardly get any and if you do you just threaten them telling them they are breaking the law and ask for their details to report them - after you have had some fun if you wish.
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TPS can't stop the international ones thankfully. ;)
But good advice if you don't fancy fielding double-glazing, you have been chosen for a home-improvement grant, we are working in your area, types.
Great one for the "we are doing some work in your area" is to ask them where. Honestly you'll create a brain-freeze, it's hilarious. :)
 
Even though in terms of an international dialling code, we are classed with the UK, TPS won't apply to Jersey. I must try and remember what Welsh I picked up while I was at Uni - the problem was I graduated 20 years ago. Maybe I should learn Jerriais or ask my friend in the Isle of Man for some useful Manx words. If I was to use a combination of all 3, that would really confuse them.
 
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A couple of times this week, I've had a message on my phone stating that I have 17 Facebook notifications when the most I've had is 1 - I'm going to my mobile provider tomorrow to try and find out what's happening.
 
I have, had, a HP laptop that wouldn't start back in March having had the "blue screen" to say that it had over heated. Two daughters have similar laptops and both say they get very hot. The problem seemed to go away when all three of us bought a mat with a fan in it. When mine seemingly died and I couldn't get it to do anything to start I bought a new laptop, and only this afternoon wondered if I could get the old one to fire up. By holding down F8 it did start in safe mode, then I shut it down correctly and it started in normal mode. As it hadn't been touched since March it had a very large anti-virus update which it completed. Next I tried to go on the internet, and it shut down with another "blue screen". All of the vents are clear of dust, the fan is going at break neck speed, so any ideas on what could be wrong? I rather liked it, and if it was possible to fix would like to have it on the go again, but don't want to get a bill for an inspection that says it is not worth doing.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
I have, had, a HP laptop that wouldn't start back in March having had the "blue screen" to say that it had over heated. Two daughters have similar laptops and both say they get very hot. The problem seemed to go away when all three of us bought a mat with a fan in it. When mine seemingly died and I couldn't get it to do anything to start I bought a new laptop, and only this afternoon wondered if I could get the old one to fire up. By holding down F8 it did start in safe mode, then I shut it down correctly and it started in normal mode. As it hadn't been touched since March it had a very large anti-virus update which it completed. Next I tried to go on the internet, and it shut down with another "blue screen". All of the vents are clear of dust, the fan is going at break neck speed, so any ideas on what could be wrong? I rather liked it, and if it was possible to fix would like to have it on the go again, but don't want to get a bill for an inspection that says it is not worth doing.
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Hi OFH. The motherboard probably overheated and caused damage. Not worth replacing as it'd cost you as much as a new laptop.

Best thing you could do would be to get a refurbished one online (Amazon or eBay) and switch the hard drives over, which on HP laptops is normally about a 5min job.
 
Thanks Toby. Not sure that I would know what an internal hard drive would look like, but I will investigate.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
Thanks Toby. Not sure that I would know what an internal hard drive would look like, but I will investigate.
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All you need is a small cruciform screwdriver.

1. Take the back off the laptop (just a few screws normally)
2. Locate HDD (normally has a little symbol)
3. Unscrew it
4. Replace with HDD from other laptop (only if the model is exactly the same)
5. Enjoy new laptop with all your old data on it
 
A hard drive looks like this btw

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OH NO I HAVE JUST SEEN THIS DISCUSSION ON HARD DRIVES <doh>


Sadly mine bottom right connection are just all melted down.... a week of detatched purgatory!!

Incidentally we had a lap top that overheated and the local pc place managed to sort it for £45... must have been a minor issue

Notifcations: cancel all FB ones to your phone Bl@@dy waste of time

Incidentallly I seem to have lost the auto spell check on this since i reinstalled everyrthning.... can anyone advise me how to get it back?
 
This is a summary of this last 10 days:


This last week I learned true detachment.
10 days ago i finally agreed to back up my PC to keep it safe and secure for the future. I had never backed it up before and it had probably 23 or more years of images, documents, accounts, all my passwords, product keys, contacts etc on it.
For a few months I had been getting a warning on start up about one of the disks being faulty.
So I went with my PC friend to the store and bought a 2 terrapin drive and some other bits.
My friend then did a few things and fiutted the drive into the machine and turned it one.
Nothing much happened and then...
What is that smell....
smoke...
It's burning....
He ran and pulled the mains lead out the back and after a couple of minutes gingerly opened up the machine. Electric smoke wafted around. I wil use the word acrid as now i know what it means.

"Looks like problems around a disk."

Which one?
The faulty one?
The new one?
Or the one with EVERYTHING on it???
You guessed it...............

This was the time to let go.........

The power cable to the drive had shorted out and melted the input to the disk
Then passed several days of internet forums... buying exactly the same disk with the same ID and trying to cannibalise..
Discovering that the ICE (?) on the drive had a unique Firmware (?) code too...... and so it went on
I learned things I will never need to know again

In the end after visiting several PC repair shops
and quite a few pounds sterling lighter
Service was resumed last night

In the meantime I had learned a sort of detachment ;)

That was a very trying time though

Lot of lessons:
Back up everything regularly on a separate disk and keep a back up elsewhere too
Keep lists of passwords on paper copies not in your machine
Record product keys again in the manner above
Dont run your pc when it is acting up... sort it straight away

... and keep breathing
 
Reminds me of a friend who was in the final stages of her PhD. She had back-ups everywhere, including in her freezer on the basis that if there was a fire the stuff in the freezer would be the last to go. Whereas I know someone else whose laptop, with the only copy of his PhD research, disappeared for six months because he had to leave it very hurriedly when the Christchurch earthquake hit.

I do have a question for the experts, though. How safe is backing up to the cloud? I use it as an extra back-up but I am a little suspicious about security.
 
I'm not entirely sure what and where the cloud is! I back up to a separate hard disk, and also email myself texts of my books. My Norton security says it has regularly backed up my data, though I haven't a clue where these back ups are!
 
hornethologist a.k.a. theo said:
I'm not entirely sure what and where the cloud is! I back up to a separate hard disk, and also email myself texts of my books. My Norton security says it has regularly backed up my data, though I haven't a clue where these back ups are![/QUO
That sounds like me! My Bullguard AV account includes 'cloud backup space' but I've never been able to work out how to access it. The 'Support' section of their website is apparently a misnomer as it doesn't offer any... :-(
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