Onsite_PC_Solution_Windows_Update_logo

To maintain a secure and functioning system, it’s important to keep your system up to date.  Here’s how you can check for updates in Windows.

It’s easy to check

In Windows 7 or Vista, click the Start button and, in the search box, type Windows Update.

search_update

In Windows 8, drag the mouse to the right edge of the screen, click the search charm that appears, and type Windows Update.

Windows-8-updates-Metro-search-Windows-update-Solvusoft

Click Windows Update when it appears on the menu. You should then get a screen that looks like this:

windows-update-550x405

To review the updates that are available, you can click on the blue text representing the optional and important updates respectively.

important

The next screen allows you to check the boxes of the updates you wish to install.

screenshot-stage-1-updates-for-windows-8-1-rtm

We recommend that you install all the important updates and almost all of the optional ones. The optional update we counsel against is the Bing bar, which introduces a toolbar that you definitely do not need.

Once you have checked all the updates you want, click Install to go back to the previous screen where you click Install updates to get the process started.

Set Windows to install important updates automatically

You can check this setting on the same screen on which you installed Windows updates. Look to the left margin, and you should see a link to Change settings.

vista_windows_update_change

For Important updates, use the drag- down menu to Install updates automatically (recommended).

important_updates_auto

Installing important updates automatically will keep the critical security fixes off the back burner and readily available to ward off viruses.

For more about updates or other issues affecting your PC, consult your local IT professionals.

Read More


Fix Failed Windows 7 Update

Do you feel nagged for updates by Windows? As annoying as they may be, here are 3 reasons it’s necessary to keep your systems up to date.

Your reservations to install updates are understandable, especially when these updates can sometimes introduce glitches and even hijack your system for repeated restarts. However, no matter how annoying they can sometimes be, updates are essential for your Windows system to function optimally.

new-updates-available

1. Most Windows updates address security issues

Neglecting updates is a surefire way to compromise your operating system with infections that can slow down your system and even allow remote users to steal your private information. Moreover, the main reason Windows PCs succumb to malware and other viruses is that users neglect installing updates.  One particularly pernicious infection is the CryptoLocker virus  that allows remote attackers to ransom your personal folders.

OnsitePCSolution_Update_Security

2. Updates can fix bugs that prevent Windows from functioning properly

These bugs can sometimes slow down your computer or cause your system to freeze. Windows updates often have hotfixes that address these bugs. Bypassing the installation of these hotfixes puts the stability and performance of your system in jeopardy.

Updating Windows can patch bugs

3. Updates let you upgrade your existing Microsoft software or get new features

These features include Net Framework and Silverlight, which allow other programs, including non- Windows ones, to work properly. Software upgrades often add additional features to Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office, making them more user- friendly.

Note, that updates are no longer available for Windows XP. We therefore recommend upgrading to a newer version of Windows if you are running XP.  Now that you know the importance of updates, do you have the latest ones installed?

For more about updates or other issues affecting your PC, please consult your local IT professional.

Read More


Onsite PC Solution Detect Bitcoin Mining Software

Does your computer seem to running much slower than usual? If so, someone may be using your computer’s processing power to mine bitcoins.

This is precisely what bitcoin mining viruses do, yet many of them can be detected with antivirus programs. Malwarebytes is highly recommended for this purpose. Whether your antivirus program is Malwarebytes which we recommend or something else, running a scan every so often will allay infection concerns.

Another way to detect bitcoin malware is by looking at the processes running on your PC. In Windows, hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys while pressing Delete. This will give you the following menu:

Starting-Windows-Task-Manager-CTRL-ALT-DEL

Select Start Task Manager from the list of options.

windows-task-manager

In the Task Manager, select the Processes tab as shown above. Check for any that have unfamiliar names, use a lot of memory or a high percentage of the CPU. You can sort the list by memory and CPU usage by clicking the CPU and Mem Usage  column bars at the top. Look up any process with an unfamiliar name on Google.

If the Google search reveals the name to belong to a rogue process, here’s how to remove it from your system.

In addition to being detected by antivirus scanners and causing your PC to use too much of its resources, bitcoin mining viruses can possibly make your computers use more electricity.

All managed services clients are automatically protected against processes that use too much CPU, including bitcoin malware.  Although bitcoin mining software on your PC isn’t likely to damage your files, you should always be running a backup to keep your files protected from catastrophic data loss.

For more information, consult your local IT professional.

Read More


Make Windows 8 Look Like Windows 8

Are you disappointed with the new unfamiliar Windows 8 or 8.1 interface? Here’s how you can make Windows 8 look like Windows 7.

Fortunately, there are ways to get Windows 8 to act like the Windows interface you know and love.

Probably the most off- putting aspect of Windows 8 is the lack of a Start Menu. With that in mind, the first order of business is installing a third- party  Start Menu program. We recommend Classic Shell. Aside from being free, it offers one of the closest approximations to the Windows 7 Start Menu obtainable from any third- party app. It can be downloaded here.

When setting up Classic Shell, go to the Start Menu Style tab and select Windows 7 Style.

w7-style

Under the Basic Settings tab, check the Skip Metro Screen box.

skip-metro-screen

This will ensure that you will go straight to the desktop without having to view the media saturated greeting screen that looks like this:

metro-screen

As annoying as that greeting screen is the charms bar shown below.

Windows-8-Charms-Bar

To disable this, download the free Winaero Charms Bar Killer. Launch the application. It will go to the notification area. Right click the program’s icon in the notification area and select Kill Charms Bar.

0407-winaero-kill-charms

This will disable all those annoying charms and allow your computer to behave like a desktop rather than a tablet.

For more information on this or other things affecting your PC, consult your local IT professionals.

Read More


OnsitePCSolution Transfer Malwarebytes License

Malwarebytes, widely acclaimed for its thorough ability to detect and purge malware from PCs, has two versions.  The premium version affords you with live protection, but it requires you to purchase a license.  What do you do if you purchase a new computer and Malwarebytes is registered on your old one?  Here’s a step by step guide to transfer your malwarebytes license.

Fortunately, there is a way to transfer your Malwarebytes Premium license to your new machine.

First, you must completely remove Malwarebytes from your old machine by downloading the mbam-clean.exe utility from here and by double- clicking it.  Allow it to run, and reboot the computer when it prompts you to do so.

On your new machine, go to the following link to download the free version of Malwarebytes. Run the program. After installation, click the activate tab at the top of right of the Malwarebytes console.

activate

If you do not have your ID or key, go to this url. Once there, enter the email address you used when you purchased Malwarebytes on your old machine, and click Next.

You should receive a reply email containing information for all orders processed with that email address. This should include your original Malwarebytes ID and key. Click Activate after you have typed in the ID and the key to activate the Malwarebytes Premium license on your new machine.

For more information on this or other issues affecting your PC, consult your local IT professionals.

Read More