MR LCD – Computer Services

September 2008 Newsletter

Spring Cleaning

Spring has sprung, so it’s time to spring clean, and even your computer can benefit!!

Firstly- check that your virus and spyware protection programs are up to date.  New viruses are written daily, so an antivirus or spyware program that is only one month out of date can miss many of the new viruses or spyware.  For spyware, there is no need to spend money on this, as Microsoft provide an excellent free one called Windows Defender.  For the latest version go to Windows Defender.  For antivirus, we use and recommend CA antivirus.  Make sure if purchasing that you buy only the anti-virus, not the complete security suite, as you will be paying for elements that aren’t needed and will slow your computer.  Go to our links page CA Antivirus.

Secondly- uninstall games and programs that are no longer used.  Make sure that you uninstall them instead of just deleting.  Many of these programs imbed information into your computer that isn’t removed when you simply delete.  Be careful what you start uninstalling though, as something you don’t recognise could be a vital program for the running of your computer, and uninstalling it could make things stop working.  If you are unsure, make a quick call to MR LCD and we can usually tell you if it sounds like a system component.  If there are programs that you have deleted in the past and not uninstalled, they could be one reason why your computer could be running slowly.  As removing this involves going into parts of your computer that can seriously affect the running of your system, I suggest getting MR LCD to come and clean it up instead of potentially damaging your operating system.

Thirdly- Get your computer off the carpet.  So much dust ends up inside your computer as it is, but sitting directly on the carpet can increase this, and also increase the likelihood of overheating.  If there is nowhere else for your computer than on the floor, place it on a plank of wood or something to raise it up slightly and allow the air to flow around it. The best possible thing is to have 10cm between the base of the tower and the floor.

Newsletter Offer

Sick of having cables running through your house so everyone’s computer can use the internet?  Like to be able to sit out in the yard in this glorious sunshine instead of being stuck inside near a phone line?  You need to configure your home with wireless.  Until 31st October, you can have MR LCD supply, install and configure a wireless ADSL modem/router and USB Wireless adapter in your home for $198.  This includes modem/router (RRP $99), wireless adapter (RRP $55) and one hour onsite setup.  ($165 For router and setup without wireless adapter)

New Banking Details

We have changed Banks, we decided it was time for some happy banking! Can you please update your internet banking to our new bank details:

Account Name is still MR LCD
BSB 302975
Account 0005029

We will keep our old account temporarily while we make the transition, but please update as soon as possible to make sure payments don’t go missing!

Tell your friends

If you know someone that might be interested in this email, please forward it to them, using the link found at the bottom of this newsletter.

August 2008 Spyware Warning

Warning

We are getting so many calls at the moment from people who have clicked on the XP Antivirus 2008 installer.  PLEASE IGNORE THIS POPUP AND USE THE X IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE BOX TO CLOSE THE WINDOW.  Then run Windows Defender and your antivirus software to remove the spyware from your computer.  This is an extremely viscious spyware and can do a lot of damage to your computer.  If you are in anyway unsure, please call Michael immediately on 1300 4 67523 or 04270 67523.

Antivirus XP 2008

Antivirus XP 2008 - Click for larger view

It is always best not to click on popups, so if one pops up that you think is from one of your legitimate programs, click the X to close it, then open that program and check from there if it was a real message.  MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE OPENING WINDOWS DEFENDER, as this program also uses the castle symbol.  So many of these security warnings are actually very clever ways to infect your computer.

And as always, DO NOT OPEN AN EMAIL MESSAGE THAT YOU DON’T RECOGNISE.  Turn off your preview pane and always instantly delete suspicious emails.  Two at the moment that are very hard to distinguish are the undelivered mail message, and the UPS package undeliverable.

Please let everyone know

This latest spyware threat is affecting everyone.  Please forward this message to your friends to keep their computer safe.

August 2008 Newsletter

Special Offer for our newsletter readers

Wow it’s been so very long since I sent a message to you all, and for that I apologise.  There will be a new message from me in your inbox next month, filled with all the usual info, but for now here is a speciall offer just for you!

Newsletter Offer

We have managed to secure a UPS (one only) for the amazing price of $1540 delivered and installed.  This unit retails for over $2200.

So what is a UPS and why would you need one? An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a device that sits between a power supply (e.g. a wall outlet) and a device (e.g. a computer) to prevent undesired features of the power source (outages, surges, etc.) from the supply adversely affecting the performance of the device.

A UPS has internal batteries to guarantee that continuous power is provided to the equipment even if the power source stops providing power. Of course the UPS can only provide power for a while, typically a few minutes, but that is often enough to ride out power company glitches or short outages. Even if the outage is longer than the battery lifetime of the UPS, this provides the opportunity to execute an orderly shutdown of the equipment. Advantages:

1. Computer jobs don’t stop because the power fails.
2. Users not inconvenienced by computer shutting down.
3. Equipment does not incur the stress of another (hard) power cycle.
4. Data isn’t lost because a machine shut down without properly shutting down.

So act now!  Call Michael on 1300 4 MR LCD to arrange for him to install the UPS now.  As mentioned earlier, there is only one unit, so get in quick to ensure you don’t miss out.

New Banking Details

We have changed Banks, we decided it was time for some happy banking! Can you please update your internet banking to our new bank details:

Account Name is still MR LCD
BSB 302975
Account 0005029

We will keep our old account temporarily while we make the transition, but please update as soon as possible to make sure payments don’t go missing!

Tell your friends

If you know someone that might be interested in this email, please forward it to them, using the link found at the bottom of this newsletter.

Christmas Wishes and Trading Hours

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you for your support this year, and we look forward to working with you in the year to come.

MR LCD will be operating throughout the holiday period, and will only be closed on 25th & 26th December and 1st & 2nd January

From the Team @ MR LCD

November 2007 Newsletter

How to reduce SPAM

Thank you to those of you who responded to my survey about the subjects of future emails.  It seems that the topic on most people’s minds is how to reduce SPAM!

Unfortunately there is no simple way to reduce the amount of SPAM you already get, short of cancelling your current email address and starting again, but I can hopefully give you some ideas to stop you getting much more.

One way that these people get your email address is that you have signed up for something, such as a free offer, and the company you signed up with has sold your email address.  The simplest way to not have this happen is to not sign up for anything, but where’s the fun in that??  My solution for this is to set up a hotmail address (or gmail or google, or something similar) to use if you are asked to enter your email address and you are not sure that it will only be used by them, and that you only check when you feel like wading through spam to get things you actually signed up for.  The trick with the free email sites is to make your user name something that would not be randomly generated such as lauradrumm0nd (with a number instead of a letter), so that hopefully you will only get the spam that you signed up for.

A lot of spam is just sent by a computer program that randomly generates email addresses and bulk sends.  This is why you would notice if you have a couple of email addresses (such as laura@mrlcd.com.au and michael@mrlcd.com.au) that you seem to get the same message a few times. The best thing to do with these emails is to delete them without opening them (make sure that the preview window is turned off also, as this opens the message).  There are programs that these email senders can use to see if the email has been opened, which proves that the email address exists.  They then flag that email as an actual email and send more spam, or on-sell the address to many other spammers.

The worst possible thing you can do in these emails is to follow their unsubscribe procedure!  If you know you didn’t subscribe and that you didn’t give your email address to them in any way, then this will only prove to them that your email address exists.

So hopefully, following these few tips, you should be able to reduce the amount of spam that you receive.

Newsletter Offer

Is it time to update your computer?  Here at MR LCD we build computers to your specifications using only the best components.  In the past, many customers who have bought their computers elsewhere have found that they still need to get us to fix up many problems including compatibilty with their printers etc, or to add parts to get the system to what they actually need.  We can supply you with a complete system (Windows XP Home, Intel Core 2 Duo, 250GB Hard drive, 1GB RAM, dual layer DVD burner, 19″ LCD monitor, microsoft keyboard and optical mouse) for $1650. Plus, if you order before 31st December, we will pick up your old PC, transfer all your data from your old system and set up the new system in your home for only $154.  Reply to this email, or call 4369 4012 to order.

Movember

Have you heard about Movember?  Many men are growing mo’s to raise money for research into men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and depression.  If you would like to support this very worthy cause, but don’t know a bro with a mo, then consider supporting Steve from the Times Cafe at Kariong.  Either drop in to the cafe and put some change in, or support him online at http://www.movember.com/au/donate/donate-search.php using his mo bro number, 174258

Special Offer

MR LCD Turns Back The Clock

From 18th October to 31st December, MR LCD Computer Services is turning back the clock!!  For this limited time, on presentation of this email, you pay only $88 per hour, taking you back to 2006 prices!!

Referral Bonus

For the same period, 18th October to 31st December, For every friend you refer, we will send you $5 cash!!  That’s right, for every person you tell about MR LCD and they call us to work on their computer, we will send you $5.  So tell your friend’s about MR LCD, and make sure they tell us it was you who referred them!

On A Personal Note

Thank You to everyone for your get well wishes, as you can see I’m back on board in the behind the scenes role helping Michael in the office, so hopefully in the next few months you’ll be hearing a bit more from me!!

October 2007 Newsletter

Spammers Pull At Your Heart Strings

We’ve all gotten them at some time.  An email that someone has forwarded on because it seems like such a great offer, or, worse still, it tells about a child that has gone missing and they hope that you have seen them so that you can help.  So how do you know if the stories are true and need to be passed on, or if they are simply a hoax?

A few years back there was an email saying that if you forwarded it to a certain number of people Microsoft would send you a large amount of money.  I have been using the internet now for over 10 years, and that email has been around for at least that long.  The trick with this one is, if it seems to good to be true, it most likely is!

The other hoaxes that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment are the ones saying that a child is missing and they are trying to enlist your help in finding them.  The first question you should ask is, why are they sending it by email, and limiting it to the few people who decide to forward it on??  Surely something that important would at least make the papers?  Look at what has happened recently with Madeleine McCann.  Her face was everywhere you went, in the paper, on the news etc.  And she went missing in Portugal.  One of the biggest hoax emails recently was made up by the friends of a girl who thought it would be funny to post their friends picture and say she was missing.   Ashley Flores is missing from both the US, and Western Australia, depending on which email you read.  The trick with identifying these hoaxes is being realistic.  Think about Madeleine McCann’s case.

The most damaging type of hoax email is one that asks you to follow a link and enter your password.  This will then allow the hoaxer access to whatever you have logged in to, most commonly your ebay account or banking.  The easiest way to avoid this is to not click links in emails unless you are absolutely sure of the sender.  I do not know of any organisation that asks for your password details via email.  If you are really concerned go to the website by typing in the address yourself, or contact the organisation through alternate means.  If you have clicked the link, look at the address bar and check for errors.  This is normally the give away, a slight spelling change, or extra characters added can be the clue to knowing if it’s real.

A really simple of way of quickly identifying a hoax, is to type the key phrase, or even just the subject line, into a Google search.  You don’t even need to open the pages, the results will show if they are a hoax.

Newsletter Offer

Sick of cleaning the built up dust from the ball of your mouse.  Update to an optical mouse, glides easily every time, no cleaning needed.  For the month of October, buy a Microsoft Optical Mouse from MR LCD for only $27.50.  Reply to this email, or call 4369 4012 to order.

All Your Solar Heating Needs

Superior Solar are your local Solar Pool Heating and Hot Water professionals.

Superior Solar supply and install only high quality solar pool heating equipment which is both efficient and durable, with exceptional workmanship as standard. They also have a full range of solar hot water systems with tanks available on ground, on roof or in roof, with either gas hot water boosting or electric hot water boosting.

January 2007 Newsletter

Hard Drives not Forever

We have had quite a few customers come to us recently with problems with their hard drive.  Many people think it’s ok to have to reboot their computer several times before it starts up, but this is a symptom of major problems.

Most people think that when they’ve saved all their information, including precious digital photos, onto their hard drive, that it will be accessible forever, but the very sad truth is that this is far from the case.  Like any other piece of electrical equipment, hard drives fail, and it is heart breaking for us to have to tell you that all those years of memories, or vital tax documents, or the novel that you’ve been tinkering away at for years, is completely gone.

The biggest tip I can give you right now, is ALWAYS back up all your important files.  The likelihood of everything breaking down is slim, but the other option is total loss of the important files and images, or paying from $500 to over $2000 for hard drive recovery experts to attempt to retrieve them.

There are many different ways to back up your files, but the easiest by far is an external back up drive.

Newsletter Offer

It is time to set up an automatic back up system for your important files and images. Until the end of February, have MR LCD install an external hard drive and set up an automatic back up for the all inclusive price of $220.*

Best Cafe on the Coast

Need a relaxing break after the stress of the Christmas period?  Want a nice place to have a coffee with friends, or a meeting with business associates? Head to Copacabana to, in my opinion, the best cafe on the coast.  Great food, overlooking Copacabana beach, Cafe Sirocco is my favourite place for a lunch meeting, Sunday breakfast with the kids, or listening to live local acts over a delicious dinner.  Visit their website for more information www.cafesirocco.com.au

Suggestions

I want to make these emails as relevant to you as possible. Please reply to this email with any suggestions you have for future email topics. Also, if you would like your business mentioned in our emails, please contact me for further information.

MR LCD – Business As Usual

Business As Usual

I am sending out this quick email because it has come to our attention that people are thinking that we are selling MR LCD.  This is definitely NOT the case.  We are just selling the cars that are so nicely sign-written (by Signco at Erina) and not the business.

So please don’t worry, it will still be Michael that comes and fixes your computer, in ways that only Michael seems to know how.

Thanks
Michael and Laura
MR LCD

Email Topic Suggestions

I want to make these emails as relevant to you as possible. Please reply to this email with any suggestions you have for future email topics. Also, if you would like your business mentioned in our emails, please contact me for further information.

Christmas Wishes From MR LCD

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

MR LCD will be open over Christmas except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and 2nd January (Michael’s Birthday).

Thank You for your support in 2006 and we look forward to working with you in 2007.

From the Team @ MR LCD Computer Services