Getting Help With Qwest Internet

This post is intended to provide quick links more than share information. Many of my clients use Qwest for their internet service  and when there's a problem, it can be hard to find the right pages and links to get help.  So I thought I would list them here.

Qwest Quick Care Software

If you ever need to re-install Qwest Quick Care Software, click here.This software is pretty handy for diagnosing internet connection problems.  So if you use Qwest, it's a good idea to download and install it you haven't already. 


Qwest Online Chat Support

Talking to tech support can be a very frustrating experience.  Not only do you have to keep up with all the automated phone redirects, but then you end up talking to somebody in India you can't even understand.   For this reason, I much prefer to chat online with tech support instead of talking to them on the phone.  It's easy and I don't have to try and decipher through anybody's accent.  Another advantage of chat support is that they can see your internet connection and even connect remotely if necessary.

To chat online with Qwest Tech Support, click here.  At the top of the page, you'll see an image of a person with the text "Need Help, click here to chat".

Google's 411 Service

Are you one of those people who still likes to use 411 to get a phone number?  If so, you need to discover Google's 411 service ... which does the same thing as your phone company, but it's FREE.

Check it out:
http://www.google.com/goog411/index.html 

All you have to do is add this toll-free number to your cell phone directory or home phone speed dial (or post it on a sticky note next to the phone).

1-800-466-4411

Calling this number will help connect you to the person or business you're trying to call.

Cablone Intenet Scam - Beware!

This morning I received an email (supposedly from Cableone) saying that my email settings (POP3 and SMTP) had been changed.   Of course, my initial reaction was one of alarm.  I didn't know if somebody had hacked my email account or if Cableone was making changes. Below is a copy of the email I received.

SMTP and POP3 servers for myemail@cableone.net mailbox are changed. Please carefully read the attached instructions before updating settings.

http://groups.google.com/group/forrestgump33/web/setup.zip

Then I took a closer a look at the web link (URL) in the message.  Of course, I couldn't figure out at first what "Google Groups" had to do with my cableone email .... but then I took a closer a look.  If you read it carefully, you'll spot the word, "forrestgump" ... which let me quickly identify the email message as a hoax.

Another big tipoff is that if you look at the last bit of the email link, you see "setup.zip"  - that is a huge clue that this is a scam.  If you click this link, it will download some type of executable file to your computer ... most likely a virus or malicious program of some sort.

So this is one email you definitely want to ignore and delete ASAP!  Hoepfully the explanation above will also help you better identify these type of hoaxes and scams in the future.

Converting Cassette Tapes to CD

Many of my clients have expressed a desire to convert their old cassette tapes into CD so they could listen to them in their cars and home.  Sounds simple enough, but the tricky part has been finding a tape recorder that you can easily connect to the computer.

If you already have a cassette recorder that will plug into a computer, then all you need is software to do the conversion for you.  Audacity is a program you can download for free from the internet.  Once downloaded and installed on your computer, you have to configure it to work with your tape recorder.

Another option is to buy a special converter box with a cassette tape and CD deck built in.  These boxes do it all for you. Just put the tape in and a blank CD and push the Play buttons and wait.  No software is needed and the box doesn't have to be connected to your computer. However, the downside is that these boxes can be expensive.

There is another option, which is much cheaper.  Four Corners Direct sells a "Tape to MP3" converter
for about $30.  This converter plugs into your computer via a USB cable and comes with its own software (Cassette Mate).  It's simple to use and works.  However, there's a small catch.  This device is converting your cassette tapes to MP3 format. This means that you'll have you'll be somewhat limited in listening to the contents of that tape.

You can listen to MP3 files on your computer without any problems.  You can also listen to them on your MP3 players.  And some CD-players (including those in cars) have the ability to play MP3 files.

But for those of us who don't have MP3 players, once our cassette tapes are converted to MP3 files, we'll need to do another conversion in order to hear the MP3 files in an ordinary CD player. Luckily this is really easy to do.  Windows Media Player and Roxio Software are two software programs that can get the job done.

So the good news is that you CAN convert your old cassette tapes to CD.  It's juts a matter of finding the right solution for you.

Beware of Census Scams

The Census is a prime opportunity for new scams intended to steal your identity.  So be on the lookout!

Census forms began going out in the mail on March 17, 2010 and folks should be getting the shortly (if you haven't already).  If you don't fill it out and mail it back, you will get a visit from government census takers sometime between April and August.

If you do get a visit from people claiming to be government census workers, be very cautious and don't assume they're who they say they are.  If you have the means to verify their identity, do so (by calling your local census office).

DO NOT fill in any forms (or give out) that ask you for your social security number or bank account info.  These are definitely fraudulent.

Census workers will NOT contact you via email either.  So ignore any emails you get claiming to be from the Census Beareau.

I'd also recommend NOT inviting any strangers (including those claiming to be  "government workers) into your home.  If you do get a legitimate visit from Census workers, step out side and close the door to answer their questions.  They don't need to be in your home and this just offers a bit of extra security in the event they're not who they say they are.

As always, just be aware and cautious when giving out personal information. Don't be a victim of a census scams!

How Run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Most of my clients know that one of my favorite software programs is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware!  This program has helped me remove some of the top Malware and virus threats on their computers. As a result, I help all my clients download and install this program on their computers.  I've written much about about Malwarebytes Anti-Malware in previous posts, but I wanted to focus this post on showing folks how to update it and run the scans.

First, after you download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you'll see a red icon with a white "M" on your desktop (like that shown on the right.  You may or may not see the shield on top it.  To run the program, just double left-click the icon (Windows Vista and 7 may ask you to confirm that you want to open/run that program).  After the program opens, you'll see the screen below.

Don't be fooled by all the tabs you see.  The only two that you really need to pay attention to are the "Scanner" tab and the "Update" tab (circled in red). 

If you're using the free version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you'll have to manually update the software and run the scan.  

So first thing you want to do after opening Malwarebytes,  is click  the UPDATE tab so you can update the software. 

Once on the update page, there are two pieces of information you'll want to pay attention to.  The first is the date of the last update.  Malwarebytes provides updates daily. And every time you update it, this date will change.  Knowing when you last updated the software and ran the scan is helpful.  

The next step is to click the "CHECK FOR UPDATES" button (you must be connected to the internet for this step).  Depending on when you last updated the software, it could take a few minutes to complete, and you may (or may not) need to reboot the computer to finish the update.  Sometimes Malwarebytes will need to close the application and then you'll have to reopen it.

Just be sure to always update the software before running the scan.  

After Malwarebytes has been updated, click the SCANNER tab to run the scan.

There are two types of scans you can run - Quick Scan or Full Scan.  Most of the time, the Quick Scan will suffice (especially if you're running scans regularly).  The only time I run the Full Scan is when I want to perform a deep thorough scan for maintenance purposes or when I suspect a problem.   

The Quick scan takes 15-30 minutes are on average and the full scan can take anywhere from 1-6 hours (depending on the size of your hard drive and how much data you have on it).  The good news is that you can do other things on the computer while the scan is running - although it may slow you down a bit.

After selecting the type of scan you want to run (Quick or Full), click the SCAN button to start the scan. 

While the scan is running, you'll notice that it shows "Objects Infected" followed by a number (which is zero at the start) on the screen.  If Malwarebytes finds any problems, "Objects Infected" will turn red and show a number.  You'll have to wait for the scan to complete before you can see what it found.  If Malwarebytes doesn't find anything, this number will remain "0".

If you look at the bottom of the window while the scan is running, you'll see two buttons:  "Purchase" (if you're running the free version) and "Exit".  If  Malwarebytes finds infections, these buttons will disappear after the scan completes and you'll see a new button labeled, "SHOW RESULTS" (you'll only see this button if infections are found).

If you see the "SHOW RESULTS" button after the scan completes, you'll want to click it. The next screen shows you in detail what infections were found and by default, all are checked.  To remove those infections, you'll want to click the REMOVE ALL button.  In most cases, you'll be told to reboot computer to complete the removal process. 

After you reboot computer, I would recommend running the scan again to make sure it comes out clean.  I have seen cases where a scan needed to be ran 2 or 3 times before all infections were removed.

I recommend updating and running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware at least weekly to help keep your computer clean of malware. 

How to Protect Your Computer From Malware

In addition to virus protection, it's important to protect your computer from Spyware, Adware, and Malware.  Some "internet security" and Antivirus software will protect you against some of the additional threats, but they may not catch them all.

For years I ran Stopzilla and  Lavasoft's Ad-aware on my personal computer from spyware and adware.  But since discovering, Malwarebytes Anti-malware, I now favor this program. I've written several posts about the biggest Malware threat (Windows Antivirus) nfecting many of my client's computers, and Malwarebytes Anti-malware is the ONLY program out there that's been able to completely remove it in most cases.  For that reason alone, I've become a HUGE fan of Malwarebytes.

Malwarebytes makes a free and paid version of their Anti-malware program.  I've been using the free version, which is fine for me, but it's takes some discipline on my part.  The biggest difference between the paid and free version is automation.  With the free version of Antimalware, I have to remember to update the software and run the scans myself.  The paid version will automate updates and scanning for you.  If you're one of those people who doesn't want to be bothered with managing the software yourself, then I'd highly recommend getting the paid version.

Regardless of which version you use of Malwarebytes Antimalware (paid or free), I highly recommend downloading and installing it on your computer.  And of course, don't forget to use it!  This is one program you really want to have on your computer BEFORE some of these problems find their way onto your computer because some malware programs will prevent you from installing it after they infect your computer.

Between Norton Internet Security and Malwarebytes Antimalware, my computer stays really clean of viruses, malware, spyware and adware.

To download and install Malwarebytes Antimalware, click here.