If you have ever lost your data due to a hard drive crash, whether it be hardware or software related, you know what a helpless feeling that is not to mention the frustration of not being able to get to your documents, pictures, etc. A Computer Wiz-Nerd can help you recover your data in many cases.

Consider this laptop. It was in a car fire. Yes, you read that correctly, in a car fire. They called us thinking all their files were gone. Since this laptop belonged to a musician and writer there were many music files and documents that needed to be saved.

I am glad to report that all the data from this laptop was recovered and moved to a new computer!

So if you have data loss call us to recover the music, pictures, documents and other data from your Mac, PC or laptop hard drive.

This will be the first time I have ever recommended a product – outside of my services, of course! It all started with a large ranch-style U-shaped house. The owners had tried in vain in the past to get a wireless signal thorough out the house. As it stood they could only use wireless devices in 1/3 of the house. Let me mention that the construction of this southwestern style was full beams, all tile and lots of granite.

My first, and erroneous, thought was to use wireless repeaters. The reason for the error is the loss of speed with each repeater used. If we had placed these throughout the house by the time you got to the last run the speed would be that of a turtle.

So I took the first basic step to place the wireless router in the center of the home. This meant placing it in the middle of the base of the U. I chose the Netgear N600 dual band router with the aim of covering the full length of the base of the U with a strong signal at each end.

Next came the left and right wings of the house. Since I had a strong signal at each end an access point seemed to be the way to go. (And this is where I begin to sing the praises of Amped Wireless products!) For this I chose Amped Wireless‘ High Power Wireless-300N Smart Access Point. The right side of the U was far longer than the left side – and included a three car garage with a workout room at the end – so I purchase two AP for each side and then added an Amped Wireless High Power 12dBi Omni-Directional Wi-Fi Antenna WA12 to the AP in the right wing.

We tested the wireless strength with an iPhone, iPad and wireless laptop. The left wing was the first to test. This is the access point with the spec antenna. The signal in the furthest corner was at full strength! So now we moved to the right side of the house. This is the access point with the 12dBi antenna. As we made our way down the house and into the garage I was shocked. The signal, even in the workout room, was a solid full bars!

The payoff? Having added a line of products that I can depend on and a new customer for life!

Today Apple released its new operating system OS X Lion. Considering the fact that at this moment Apple is trading at 387.54 up by 10.66 on exceptional quarterly earnings this is a banner day for Apple. The “new king of the desktop” is priced at an affordable 29.99 USD making Microsoft look somewhat stingy.

Once this blog is done I plan on downloading and installing the new OS on the Macbook and give it a whirl. Based on Apple’s website I expect to see an interface very similar to the iPad and iPhone with an emphasis on apps.

Stay tuned for an update on the download and installation update.

Oh, we are slap-app-happy!

Over 24 apps have been pulled by Google from the Android market because they were infected with malware.

“This weekend, multiple applications available in the official Android Market were found to contain malware that can compromise a significant amount of personal data,” Lookout said in a blog post. “Likely created by the same developers who brought DroidDream to market back in March, 26 applications were found to be infected with a stripped down version of DroidDream we’re calling ‘Droid Dream Light’ (DDLight).”

Back in March Google removed some affected apps from phones remotely and promptly issued a security update.

So the moral to the story?  Pay close attention to what apps you download. Make sure the apps are from a trusted site. Check out the app features and once you have installed them watch your phone for suspicious activity. But foremost, use a security app and an app to monitor all other apps activities.

Today Apple released Security Update 2011-003 a software update to affect the issue with Mac Defender. The information for the development of OS X 10.6.8 seems to indicate it will contain the ability to detect and remove variants of the Mac Defender. I guess this update is to get a solution out to the Mac community as soon as possible.

Here is the information Apple has on their website regarding the update:

There has been quite some buzz over the rogueware Mac Defender. Some say it is for real. Some say it is just hype. Well, Ed Bott shared an exchange with an AppleCare support tech on ZNet. The AppleCare rep states that, yes, Virginia, there is Mac malware, but that they have been instructed to not help Mac users with this malware dilemma. In other words, they will not help Mac users remove the malware.

What follows is the beginning of their conversation:

Over the weekend, I got an e-mail from an AppleCare support rep, who was responding to my recent reports of Mac malware being found in the wild. At least one prominent voice in the Mac community dismisses these reports as “crying wolf.” The view from inside an Apple call center says it’s for real:

I can tell you for a fact, many, many people are falling for this attack. Our call volume here at AppleCare is 4-5x higher than normal and [the overwhelming majority] of our calls are about this Mac Defender and its aliases. Many frustrated Mac users think their Mac is impervious to viruses and think this is a real warning from Apple. I really wish I could say not many people will fall for this, but in this last week, we have had nothing but Mac Defender and similar calls.

For the full article click here.

Rogue security software

Rogue security software (or rogueware^[1]) is a form of computer malware that deceives or misleads users into paying for the fake or simulated removal of malware, or that installs other malware.^[2] Rogue security software, in recent years (2008–2011), has become a growing and serious security threat in desktop computing.^[3]

If you would like to improve your wireless network signal, you should carry out a few of these tips. These tips will extend the wireless range. They will also improve the overall performance as well as reliability of the wireless network.

Re-position the wireless router to the center of the house.

Place the router away from walls.

Place the router in a high spot off the floor.

Place the router away from metal objects or electronics such as monitors, etc.

Check to see if your router has antenna that can be removed. Replace the antenna which you get with the router, use a hi-gain one. If the standard router is placed by an outer wall, part of the wireless signals will be directed outside the house. Hi-gain antennas send the wireless signals in a single specific direction which you are able to aim on the path where you need them a large amount.

Replace your laptop or computer’s wireless network adapter with a USB network adaptor. It uses an external antenna that improves the range of the signals.

Add a wireless repeater (range extender) to push the signal range further.

Change the wireless router’s channel to increase the strength of its signal. You can do that through the configuration page of the router. The computer will detect the new channel itself.

Reduce wireless interference by avoiding wireless electronics which use the 2.4GHz frequency. You should use cordless phones which use the 900MHz or 5.8GHz frequencies.

Update your firmware updates for your router through the manufacturer’s website or from inside the router.

Are you the only one that uses your computer and you are tired of having to login each time you go to use the computer? The steps below will allow you to disable the Windows 7 & Vista login screen. Once you have disabled the login your computer will boot up directly to your desktop.

1. Click on the Start button and  choose Control Panel.
2. Click on the User Accounts and Family Safety link.
3. Next, click on the User Accounts link.
4. Under the “Make changes to your user account” section, click on the “Remove Your Password” link for your account.
5. On the next screen that comes up, enter in your current password.
6. Click on the Remove Password button to confirm everything.
7. Close out of all the open windows and restart your computer.