The Geek Squad Blog

Geek Squad 2MM: How to use Technology with Long Distance Relationships

With the holidays coming up, it's important to keep in touch with friends and family. In this Two Minute Miracles video, Geek Squad Agents Mike Nelson and Ricky Didaravong explain how you can use technology to stay connected to the ones you love.

Xbox 360: Buyer Beware of Blocked Consoles

If you're currently shopping for a new gaming system, you may have noticed a large number of Xbox 360s for sale on sites like eBay or Craigslist. Buyer beware. Microsoft may have blocked these Xbox 360 consoles from accessing Xbox LIVE, an online gaming and media delivery service.

In a move to fight software piracy, earlier this week Microsoft blacklisted as many as one million Xbox 360 consoles. Microsoft claims these consoles have been physically modified in order to circumvent built-in Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. Modified units are commonly referred to as “modded” consoles.

By physically altering the gaming unit’s DRM technology, the user can play illegally pirated copies of popular games that would normally be blocked by the system. The immensely popular game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ launched last week and it’s likely that some Xbox 360 players would be interested in playing a pirated copy on a modded console.

When Microsoft detects a modded console, they have the ability to ban that console from using the Xbox LIVE service due to the unique identification numbers that’s associated with every Xbox 360. While the system can still play games locally, the owner will not be able to sign into their LIVE account, access online content or play in multiplayer games with other Xbox 360 owners.

The bannings will also impact holiday shoppers looking to save money this holiday season by buying used Xbox 360s on eBay, Craigslist or through a local retailer who sells used consoles. Owners of blocked Xbox 360s may be looking to sell their systems without informing potential buyers of the situation.

If you are looking to buy a used Xbox 360, be aware that it may not be immediately obvious that the unit was physically modded. If possible, you’ll want to physically inspect the case to confirm that the seals on the back of the unit are not broken. Also make sure that there are no pry marks on the case that may indicate it has been opened. Another sign of a modded unit is when the A/V plugs aren’t aligned properly through the case holes.

If you have other questions about gaming technology, stop into your local Best Buy and speak with a Geek Squad Agent.

Geek Squad’s here to Twelp You!

Best Buy recently asked retail employees and Geek Squad Agents for short video submissions talking about how we use technology to reach out to clients with questions. This is my submission, about my part in @Twelpforce, our Twitter-based collective force of technology pros offering free advice in tweet form:

There’s been a lot of very positive talk recently about Best Buy’s @Twelpforce since its launch three months ago, but it’s not the only way to reach out for Geek Squad assistance.

Geek Squad is available 24 hours a day via phone at 1-800 GEEK SQUAD (1-800-433-5778).  Our Mission Control Agents can help you schedule on-site appointments with our field Agents, or direct you to our other remote service options.

If you have broadband Internet access and can connect to the Internet, we can assist you with your remote support needs via our Virtual Agents at the GeekSquad.com.

If you’re looking to talk to a live Agent in person, you can use our store locator to find the nearest Geek Squad Precinct, often located in your neighborhood Best Buy.

Of course, if you have Twitter, you can always reach us through @GeekSquad or @Twelpforce .

Bad Catch of the Day: Phishing

Sorry, outdoor enthusiasts, this type of phishing does not involve bass or trout, nor the fine Ugly Stick fishing rods. We are talking about something much more dangerous, and possibly much more expensive. This type of phishing can potentially put your personal information in the hands of identify thieves.

In order to protect yourself it’s important to understand how a phishing attack occurs. Phishing basically comes down to this: An identity thief composes an email that looks official and sends it out to a huge lists of emails that may be either generated by a computer or obtained by other sources. This official looking email ends up in your inbox and usually prompts you to do something like re-verify personal information, like your email address and password. There may be a link in the email that appears to take you to a legitimate website.
So how do you know if an email is a potential phishing attack? Most legitimate institutions that contain sensitive information will never send you an email and ask you personal questions. This includes banks, email services, internet service providers and stock traders. As a matter of fact, many times you’ll notice legitimate businesses attach a clause at the end of them email which reads: “we will never ask for your personal information.”
When in doubt, pick up a phone. Don’t call a phone number listed in the email, either. Use the good old yellow pages or as a last resort hit up a search engine for contact information. There is no substitute for a live human being on the other end of the line!
One of the most popular questions I receive in the field from the usually upset customer who has been affected by this is “why??” Well honestly it usually comes down to monetary gain. Eventually someone somewhere is getting money in the end. The persons responsible for the attack may want to use your email address to spread a remote-control virus. Or perhaps they want to launch an attack from your email address, thus protecting themselves from authorities behind your identity. Maybe they are going straight for the jugular, your online banking information.
There are several things to keep in mind in order to protect yourself. First, it’s important to know that these phishing attacks may not involve a virus or spyware infecting your computer and therefore will usually NOT be blocked by your antivirus software. Second, if you see a suspicious email asking for information or stating that your information has been compromised, thus asking you to “do something” via the internet to fix it…DON’T. Contact your institution directly from a phone number not obtained in the email. Do not delete the email until after you contact them, they may want you to send a copy to them for further investigation.
Lastly, make sure your password is strong. Do not use birthdays, common phrases (like “admin,” “password,” “1234,” etc) for the password. Instead try something crazy that mixes up letters, capitals, and numbers. Example: g0AwayM1ne! Change your passwords every once in a while too.
If you suspect you have fallen victim to a phishing attack, contact your institution and/or your email address provider and let them know what has happened. This should help you from falling victim to this dangerous social engineering scam.

“My cell phone is about to…(silence ensues)

You are in the middle of an important conversation, getting directions to the hotel you are staying at when your phone suddenly shuts off. You reach for your car charger, but it’s nowhere to be found. The easiest way out of this situation? Prevention.

There are many ways to preserve battery life on your cell phone.  The top five things you can do to prevent “low battery syndrome” are:

1.  Turn Off Bluetooth – Your phone’s Bluetooth antenna is the #1 contributor to dead batteries.  The reason is that not only is it consistently broadcasting a signal for other devices to pick up, but it may also be searching for signals.  The best thing to do is to disable Bluetooth if you are not using it.  If you use it frequently, say with a headset, at least check to see if your phone has an option to disable searching for devices.
2. Wi-Fi Connections – #2 on the list of battery killers is your phone’s Wi-Fi capabilities.  Again, your phone is constantly searching for a hotspot if the Wi-Fi antenna is turned on.  Always disable Wi-Fi when it is not in use.
3. Roaming/No Signal – Believe it or not, if your phone has no signal, that can and will drain your battery.  The reason is that the phone is working harder than normal trying to find a tower to connect to.  Roaming can also be a power drain since your phone may be using a tower that the phone was not designed to work with.  If you are going to be out of your main coverage area for a long period of time, it might be a good idea to power down your phone until you can get service again.
4. Backlight Settings – Another great way to conserve battery life is to reduce the amount of time the backlight on your screen stays on.  For best results, consult your owners manual for recommended settings, but anything 30 seconds or shorter is a safe bet to improve battery life.
5. Data Connections – For those of you who may be smartphone users, check your email and data connections.  If you are using a direct connection to a server to update when new items arrive (commonly known as a “push”), you may see shorter battery life.  Try changing your sync settings to every 30 minutes or even every hour.  You will see a huge difference in the longevity of your battery because the phone is no longer maintaining a constant data connection.

Remember, results will vary based on your phone and your usage patterns, but trying a few or all of these tweaks may be the difference between a good night’s sleep in a comfy hotel bed or snoozing at a rest stop, reclined in your driver’s seat!

Geek Squad 2MM: How to Upgrade your Operating System

In this 2 Minute Miracle Video, Geek Squad Agents Ryan Luering and Tom Ruiz offer tips to make sure your computer is prepared for an operating system upgrade.

How to Create a Holiday Lightshow

One of our favorite things to do as Geek Squad Agents is to find new ways to bring technology into our lives to improve upon the experience.

Holidays are no exception. One of my favorite projects is a yearly Halloween graveyard lightshow I put together for my home display. Check out this video I created explaining the basics behind on the spooktacular show!

Rogue Ads

Recently, the New York Times website had a rogue ad displayed in one of their banner ad spaces. Visitors to the website may have noticed abnormal operation of their computers, popup ads, or hijacked internet connections after clicking on the advertisement.

“What is a rogue ad?” you ask? These types of internet advertisements try and trick you into purchasing, downloading, or installing some sort of application onto your computer that can do some pretty nasty damage to your PC. Think of it like the Trojan Horse. The ad tells you to ‘click here and make your computer faster’ or ‘you have Windows problems, click here to fix them.’ This sounds good until you realize that the payload of this promised application is really something that displays ads on your computer or redirects your web browser to objectionable sites.

Use Halibut to Protect Your Identity

How effective is your strong password if an identity thief can change it themselves? Plenty of attention has been given to helping find ways to generate stronger passwords--avoiding birthdays, pet names, phone numbers, and of course, the list of the most popular, such as "password", "love", "hope", etc. But now that users are starting to make their passwords harder to guess, identity thieves are turning to a new weapon—the secret question.

Geek Squad 2MM: Bringing the Home Theater Experience Outdoors

In this 2 Minute Miracle video Geek Squad Agents Wesley Gray and Franklyn Luna discuss ways to hook up an outdoor home theater system.