Yellow Boat Computers: Closed

 It has been quite a journey. Thank you to all who have engaged my services over the years, it's been a pleasure working with you. This blog is now an archive.

Stay Safe Online

Staying safe online is something we all strive to do and many of us have our own methods, even if that includes not doing something. Some of us keep a book on one side that contains passwords while others allow the web browser to remember them. The worst offenders amongst us actually have a document on their computer that contains such data - that, latter example is a hackers paradise. 

It does not help much when one considers that, it is a fact,  many people do not understand the fundamentals of making their online experience safe for whatever they do. I have come across many who give someone else the money who will then place the online order.

So, how do you begin? With Windows 10 - make sure it is up-to-date. Extra security software is good for doing shopping or online banking. Your bank may offer free internet security software so check out their website. There is also AVG, Avast and Kaspersky who all offer free versions of their internet security suites. My personal choice would be and is Sophos or Eset, there is a write up on my other website, Click here to read it.

Below you will find my basic guide to cyber security.

 

Cyber Security Basics (PDF)

Sophos Security - 45% off until December 8th 2020

Eset Security

Chromebook users

If you are using a Chromebook then, providing it is up-to-date you are well protected. I say well protected because no matter how much protection one has on whatever device, it is never guaranteed 100% safe.

Password Managers

It is a really good idea to use a password manager to store all your passwords. Are they safe? Well, generally the whole password vault is encrypted at your end, it is then sent to your cloud account for storage. If you only have 50 passwords then a notebook beside the computer will probably do but I still recommend a password manager. 

Lastpass is just one example of a password manager, use the link below to see how it works.

https://www.lastpass.com/how-lastpass-works

This YouTube video will go some way to explaining how a password manager works.

2020 computer services

 I have now been repairing computers for almost 20 years. Things have moved on a lot in that time and one has to adapt. I no longer have premises in the town as I used to, I now work from home. 

Also, I no longer build or supply computers, I just advise on what should be bought and then set it up or, with regard to maintenance, I just solve problems and fix things. 

There are new ways of getting things done now and this means that you may not need a new laptop or PC, there are other choices. 

So, if you feel you need a bit of tech help then please get in touch via this link.

Android Apps - Really useful ones

Two Apps that make your Android phone or tablet much easier to use.

(Click on the images to enlarge)

The first of these is 'Calendar Companion'. I started using this when I first moved from a Nokia E? - I cant even remember the model, anyway that old Nokia had a feature in its calendar whereby I could search many years back and forth just by typing in a name or part of the address, all appointments I had relating the search term would be listed. Once I moved to Android (had an iPhone for a while) I could not find the same function, I missed it. So after a search I found this and I have been using it ever since I think I purchased the premium version as I have been so pleased with it and I am happy to support the developer. There are setting in the app to define your preferred search criteria.

The second app is a relative newcomer. Files Go by Google. If you ever wanted a good tool for clearing out all those caches and other stuff that's already been backed up to Google Drive then I guess this has to be it. No advertising and teasing you to buy yet another booster for your software that you don't need. Just search for these two in the Play Store on your device. 

Eset Mobile Security - One month free

Hey, I use this great app ESET Mobile Security that protects my device. You can unlock 1 month of Premium protection for free if you insert 8KVEET5R into the app or install it from here http://go.eset.eu/ems-gp-promo?c=8KVEET5R Enjoy!

Sophos : Business Grade Security at Home

Business Grade Security at Home

One subscription of £40 covers 10 computers  

Grab a 20% discount here / A free trial here

Sophos Home, as it is called is not a name that springs to the mind of most home computer users. If you ask anyone what they use then you are likely to hear names like AVG, Avast or Norton and McAfee or Bit Defender and Panda. The reason for this is that Sophos has primarily been a business grade product that is designed around business users. The good thing about it being designed around a business product is that the software does not produce regular pop-ups trying to sell you yet another feature. Sophos Home is also run under the same centralised system the company uses for its business customers. Further to this one gets a central online place where actions and configurations for each computer under the account can be carried out, this is very useful for parents who can block the children’s computer from accidentally accessing inappropriate sites and many other features.

While Sophos will deal with all the important stuff straight away there are some things it simply flags up for instance a pup (potentially unwanted program), it could be the setup file that’s languishing in the downloads folder of a family members computer. In this instance the owner of the Sophos account gets an email to bring attention to it, from here one has only to log into the online control panel and instruct Sophos to ignore it or delete it. This is just one of the brilliant features in the control centre. Standard protection that constantly runs with these features:

Antivirus: Blocks known viruses, threats, trojans and worms.

Web Protection: Blocks websites known to have malware.

Ransomware Protection: Stops ransomware encrypting your files.

Privacy Protection: Alerts you to unwanted use of your webcam.

Malicious Traffic Detection: Detects and stops programs connecting to malicious remote servers.

One subscription of £40 covers 10 computers  

Grab a 20% discount here / A free trial here

Spam in Outlook ?

Is your inbox bulging? Here's some help.

 This is relevant to webmail and not the Outlook program that is part of Office.

Click images to see bigger versions.

If you have a Hotmail, Live or Outlook email address and you are getting loads of unwanted emails then there is a simple solution. There are many ways to deal with Spam effectively and this is just one. In the image above I have selected one email by ticking the box next to it, then, using the Sweep button I get this menu:

This is a great option, you can all the messages in the inbox from the same sender and as you can see there is an option to delete all messages from the selected sender and any future ones or keep the latest and delete the rest or delete messages older than 10 days.

This really does take the heat out of dealing with spam - unwanted emails, it even saves you from unsubscribing which can be  a bit of a chore, you know, finding the links etc. I have personally used this tool to completely clear up my 10+ year old inbox, when you take an action with this sweep menu it automatically creates a rule that is applied in perpetuity until you change it, should you want to by clicking on the 'view rules' link. 

Have fun clearing up your inbox :-)

Be the boss of your email.

Don't get caught out, please link your mobile phone to your email address. One can do this by going into the account settings of your account and there will be an option there somewhere to add your mobile phone number - it does not have to be a smartphone, just so long as it can receive a text message. All major email services offer this and if you find yourself locked out because of a password issue your phone will prove an invaluable help to get you back in.