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Trojans, including rogue security software, remain the most prevalent category of threats according to a recent report from Microsoft. So stay alert - rogue security software appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but actually provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, and/or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions.

Watch out for pop-up "alerts" or "updates" that may appear on your screen that say something like, "Warning! Malware detected on your computer!" (See the example below.) These messages often look very official, and you may be tempted to click on the button that offers to remove the threats by downloading security software. DON'T DO IT. These messages are crafted to scare you (hence the nickname of scareware) into spending money for worthless antivirus protection. Even worse, scareware is often malware designed to steal personal information, and installing it on your computer can lead to unauthorized financial transactions and identity theft.

The five realistic images below are all examples of scareware pop-ups.

To avoid having to deal with scareware, Internet security experts advise caution:

Don't download any security software from an unknown source on the Internet, and be skeptical of advertisements for unknown software that claim to provide easy protection.
Make sure you install all security updates for your operating system.
Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links to documents in e-mail or instant messages that are received unexpectedly or from an unknown source.

As always, we recommend you use antispam and antivirus software, install a firewall, and keep your operating system and browser software updated.

Hartelco Computers will be celebrating our 10th Anniversary on May 1st. Be sure to watch for some incredible deals that we will be announcing soon, including 10th Anniversary specials on computers for graduation, Mother's Day, or to replace that old clunker of a PC that's setting in the corner.

Sometimes you may see computer stores advertising that they are the only "certified" technicians in the area capable of repairing your PC. So you may ask "What's all the fuss about?" or "What does that mean to me?" and "Is this really true?"

Certifications come in many areas and levels of computer technology. Different organizations and large computer equipment companies allow technicians to take their courses to become certified in that specific area. Passing these certification tests are then used by some companies as proof that they're qualified to work on your equipment.

As a side note, Hartelco Computers has technicians that are A+ certified (one has been A+ certified for nearly 14 years), and also hold certifications for Evolution, Captaris RightFax, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2008, and certification testing for QualysGuard Security is pending.

The bottom line is that you can trust Hartelco technicians to get your computer equipment repaired and more importantly, keep it running effeciently without having to pay for a myriad of additional service calls.

Our computer techs hold many certifications, but they don't mean a thing if you can't trust the technician to fix your computer right, and right the first time.

Again, we thank you for your past patronage and trust, and we look forward to serving you in the future.

Are You Passing Along Those "Good Luck" Emails? - This Could Change Your Mind

There are many different versions of silly "good luck" emails circulating around the Internet for no good reason. There are also emails that attempt to chide readers into forwarding the emails to "at least 10 people" or something bad will happen to them.

The spring storm season has arrived. Whenever there are strong storms, there's a chance of losing electrical power, which could affect the phones in your home. What to do?

Be sure to have at least one "corded" phone in your home or business. A corded phone is the traditional phone where there is only one cord coming out of it and you plug it directly into a phone jack. Corded phones use the electricity supplied by the digital switch in Hartelco's office, not from your local electric utility. In the event of a power outage, power is automatically transferred to a large battery "bank", and then to our standby generator. All of this occurs seamlessly to people talking on the corded phones.

Please note that if you have been converted to fiber optic cable, your power for your corded phone will be supplied by the battery backup unit that was installed as part of your conversion.

On the other hand, cordless phones have a base station that has two cords coming out of it - one for the phone and one for the charger base. When the power is out, your cordless phones will not work! There are even times when cellphones won't work if power is cut off to the cellphone tower. Please again note that if you've been converted to fiber optic cable, the supplied battery backup is only for corded phones. Your cordless phones, like in any power outage, will not work.

So keep your loved ones safe! Be sure to have at least one corded phone in your house, so you are always able to call friends, family, and 9-1-1 operators!

This is the time of year that we remind everyone of just dialing 811 for Digger's Hotline in Nebraska. But do you remember why it's so important? And do you know why it's now more important than ever?

It's the law that anyone digging should call Digger's Hotline at least 48 hours before they dig so the utility companies can mark their underground wires, pipes, and cables so their service to your property and to your neighbor's property is not disturbed. It's a free call, and the 811 service is available 24 hours a day. Calling 811 could relieve you of liability claims or costs to replace damaged utilities.

Now it's more important than ever to call 811. With Hartelco's Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) project, splicing a damaged fiber optic cable isn't as easy as splicing copper wires. In fact, most times the whole segment of fiber optic cable must be replaced as it simply can't be spliced in the middle of a section where it may have been damaged.

So if someone is found to have started digging without contacting Digger's Hotline and damages a fiber optic cable, the costs that are charged to the person damaging the cable are much, much higher than what it would have been to splice underground copper wires!

Remember, just call 811 at least 48 hours before you dig. It could save both you and your pocketbook a major headache.

Hartelco Computers now has drop off and pickup locations in neighboring towns to make it easier for people to get their PC's repaired.

This Month's FAQ - Why Do E-mails Sometimes Take Hours To Arrive Or Never Arrive At All?

Question: Sometimes an e-mail will take much longer than usual to get to me—even hours. Sometimes I never receive it at all. Why is that?

Answer: We've all gotten used to e-mail being an almost instantaneous communications medium that we really notice when there's a delay. E-mail delays and failed delivery can be the result of many different causes, and here are some of the most common ones:

Overloaded Servers In most cases of delayed e-mail, it's simply due to one of the mail servers along the way being overloaded and running slow, usually because of a flood of spam.
Spam Filters/Grey Lists/Black Lists Spam filters are meant to block spam, but sometimes they block a legitimate e-mail instead which means the recipient doesn't get it. When an e-mail doesn't arrive that you're expecting, always check your junk mail folder to see if it's there.
Internet Connectivity Problems Sometimes things break and broken things cause delays. A bad connection between your computer and mail server, your mail server and a DNS server, your mail server and the recipients' mail server(s), or the recipient's mail server and the recipient's computer can all cause delays in e-mail delivery.
User Error It's very common for the sender to mistype an e-mail address. If you're missing or unsure of an e-mail address, get in touch with the sender and check on their correct e-mail address.

Nothing is perfect—including e-mail. So use the tips above to investigate a missing e-mail, and try to be patient with the occasional slow-moving message. After all, it's still much faster than snail mail.

(If you'd like your business' website featured, contact us at htc@hartel.net. This is a free service.)

www.facebook.com/Hartelco

Hartelco now has a "fan" page on Facebook. If you don't have a facebook account, you can still see our fan page by going to www.facebook.com/Hartelco.

Is there any advantage to having a facebook account and becoming a fan of Hartelco?

You bet! Facebook fans of Hartelco automatically receive Hartelco updates that we place on our fan page. We plan to use facebook for promotions, announcements, and contests. Becoming a fan ensures that you see these announcements right away so you don't miss any deadlines.

You can still always just go the our facebook link above without having an account on facebook. Just be sure to check every few days so you don't miss anything. Becoming a Hartelco facebook fan is simply much easier if you already have a facebook account, and you can rest assured that you won't miss any announcements.

For more information on Facebook and how to setup an account, just click here for a full article on Facebook..

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30 Days to Financial Wellness
http://financialliteracymonth.com - Committing to a month-long challenge is a great way to reach a goal. April is National Financial Literacy Month, and this site challenges you to achieve financial wellness in 30 days. Each day is represented by a step that includes details about how to make it work for you. You'll also find tools for success, tips, gadgets, and a blog from Money Management International, the sponsor of the site. April already too busy? That's okay, you can start the program any time!

Get Cracking With Eggs
http://incredibleegg.org - Planning a brunch for a special occasion like Mother's Day? Make it "egg-ceptional" by visiting the Recipes & More section of the American Egg Board site. This site also provides information on egg nutrition, egg facts, egg cooking tips, egg games, and incredible people who make eggs part of their diet. Don't forget to check out the fun videos in Eggs 101.

How to (Really) Travel Light
http://onebag.com - Traveling light always sounds like a good idea, but it can be difficult to do. After all, you really might need those three umbrellas and ten pairs of pants, right? Wrong. This well-regarded site provides detailed information about what to pack (including a sample checklist), what to pack it in, and how to keep your travel luggage to a minimum. Benefits of packing light include greater security, saving money on luggage fees, flexibility, and peace of mind.

Hooked on Idol
http://americanidol.com - If you can't get enough American Idol, this is the place to be. Catch up on performances you may have missed or want to watch again, see video recaps of results announcements, or check out photos of the beloved stars-to-be. You can also support your favorite contestants and judges with t-shirts and gear, and share your thoughts with other fans in the Idol community as you anticipate the season finale in May.

NFL Draft 2010
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft - Visit this site to keep up with all the buzz, rankings, and previews for the 2010 NFL draft set to take place April 22-24. You can check out videos, blogs, and picks, as well as take a look back at previous drafts and a complete draft history for each team. Join the online conversation about your favorite teams, and find information about your favorite players.

An important way to help keep your computer secure and reliable is to install updates to the operating system as soon as they become available. The easiest way to do this is through automatic updates, which conveniently tell you whenever an update is ready to install and eliminate your need to remember this task. Follow the steps below for your operating system.

Turning On Automatic Updates In Windows XP:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click on "Control Panel" in the pop-up menu.
When the Control Panel window opens, select "Security Center." When the Security Center window opens, you will see "Automatic Updates" under "Security essentials."
If "Automatic Updates" is off, click on the "Automatic Updates" link under "Manage your security settings for:" The Automatic Updates window will appear.
Click on the "Automatic" radio button or on the word "Automatic."
Select an interval and time for the update to occur. The default is "Every day" and "12:00 PM."
Click on the "Apply" and then the "OK" buttons to save your changes. This will take you back to the Security Center window.
Automatic Updates status should now be "On" under "Security essentials." Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Security Center window to close and again to close the Control Panel window.

Turning On Automatic Updates In Windows Vista:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click on "Control Panel" in the pop-up menu.
When the Control Panel window opens, click on "Security."
When the Security window opens, click on "Security Center."
When the Security Center window opens, you will see "Automatic Updates" under "Security essentials."
If "Automatic Updates" is off, click on the "Windows Update" link.
When the Windows Update window opens, click on the "Change settings" link.
Under "Important updates," use the large button to select "Install updates automatically (recommended)."
Select an interval and time for the update to occur. The default is "Every day" and "3:00 AM."
Click on "OK" to save your changes.
Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Windows Update window to close it.
Automatic Updates status should now be "On" under "Security essentials." Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Security Center window to close and again to close the Control Panel window.

Alternate Method For Windows Vista:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click on "All Programs Panel" in the pop-up menu.
Click on "Windows Update" from the list of programs.
Select "Change Settings" and choose how you want Windows to install updates.
When the Windows Update window opens, click on the "Change settings" link.
Under "Important updates," use the large button to select "Install updates automatically (recommended)."
Select an interval and time for the update to occur. The default is "Every day" and "3:00 AM."
Click on "OK" to save your changes.
Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Windows Update window to close it.

Turning On Automatic Updates In Windows 7:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click on "Control Panel" in the pop-up menu.
When the Control Panel window opens, click on "System and Security."
When the System and Security window opens, click on "Windows Update."
When the Security Center window opens, you will see "Automatic Updates" under "Security essentials." If "Automatic Updates" is off, click on the "Windows Update" link.
When the Windows Update window opens, click on the "Change settings" link.
Under "Important updates," use the large button to select "Install updates automatically (recommended)."
Select an interval and time for the update to occur. The default is "Every day" and "3:00 AM."
Click on "OK" to save your changes.
Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Windows Update window to close it.
Automatic Updates status should now be "On" under "Security essentials." Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Security Center window to close and again to close the Control Panel window.

Alternate Method For Windows 7:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click on "All Programs Panel" in the pop-up menu.
Click on "Windows Update" from the list of programs.
Select "Change Settings" and choose how you want Windows to install updates.
When the Windows Update window opens, click on the "Change settings" link.
Under "Important updates," use the large button to select "Install updates automatically (recommended)."
Select an interval and time for the update to occur. The default is "Every day" and "3:00 AM."
Click on "OK" to save your changes.
Click on the red "x" in the upper right corner of the Windows Update window to close it.

Changing Your Apple Update Settings On Your PC Under Windows Vista:

Click your cursor arrow on "Start" in the lower left corner of the screen, and then click "All Programs Panel" in the pop-up menu.
Click on "Apple Software Update" from the list of programs.
When the Apple Software Update window opens, click on the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences" from the drop-down menu.
When the Apple Software Update Preferences window opens, select your interval (the default is "Weekly") and click on "OK."
Click on "Quit" to close the Apple Software Update window.

Changing Your Apple Update Settings On Your Macintosh:

Click your cursor arrow on the "Apple" menu in the upper left corner of your screen and drop down to "System Preferences."
When the System Preferences window opens, look under "System" and click on the "Software Update" icon.
When the Software Update window opens, select your interval (the default is "Weekly").
Close the window by clicking on the red dot in the upper left corner.