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Archive for April, 2012

Pamper Your Electronics: Treat Them to a Spring Cleaning

ace the facts: filth is everywhere. We spend a significant amount of time in our ongoing  battle against filthiness.  Shower, scrub, soap (lather, rinse repeat) as we sluice the dirt away from floors, counters, dishes, and windows.  Don’t our electronic devices deserve the same care and attention?

With the fresh scent of spring blowing our cares away and awakening us from our sluggish winter torpor, now is the perfect time to treat your electronics to a refreshing spring cleaning .

Just as dead skin can clog pores and lint can block up lint traps, dust in our electronics can cause major malfunctions.  Laptop and desktop computers, with their cooling fans and contained cases, are especially notorious for being dust magnets.  Grime covered fans can jam, causing machines to overheat.  Dust blowing from the vents in your computer can cover your furniture with unsightly grey fuzz.  An especially filthy computer could even be a fire hazard if left on for an extended period of time!

Fortunately, a vigorous application of compressed air will send the dirt packing and make your PC feel years younger.  We recommend taking your computer into the garage (or any other dry, sheltered outdoor area) for this task, or have a vacuum handy, lest you desire to breathe deeply of the billowing clouds that may result.

Have a can of compressed air primed and ready? Yes? Ok, stop trying to scare the cat with it, and follow these simple steps:

1. Turn off and unplug your computer. (If it is a laptop, remove your battery as well.)
2. If it is a desktop, remove the screws holding the side of the case on, and remove the side cover, exposing the interior.
3. With gentle, steady spurts from the can of air, blow any exposed vents or fans that you can see on the back or bottom of your computer’s case.
4. Watch dust come out. (If you aren’t wearing an air filter, proceed to cough and choke.)
5. Be amazed!

Now that the interior is clean, let’s look at the outside, shall we? Make the screens of your electronics more beautiful and renew their original luster and brilliance by treating them to a gentle scrub as part of your spring cleaning.  A microfiber cloth and screen cleaning solution is all you need to free your televisions, cameras, cell phones, and computers from the built-up smears and smudges of a winter spent indoors.

With your electronics powered off and in a brightly lit location, try this:

1. Spray cleaning solution on a clean microfiber cloth (not the screen!) until it is lightly damp.
2. With back and forth motions, gently wipe down the surface of your screen until it is clean and bright.
3. If necessary, re-spray cleaning solution on the microfiber cloth and repeat steps 1 & 2.
4. Be careful! Pressing too hard could result in damage to your screen.

Computers and television screens aren’t the only devices that could use a fresh start this spring.  The things we touch every day naturally accumulate dirt!  It’s a good idea to wipe down  your mouse, your keyboard, and any shiny, dust-collecting surfaces of other home electronic devices.with  antistatic electronic cleaning wipes. Always remember – clean electronics are happy electronics. (At least, in our world they are.)

Have a computer that’s really dusty?  Don’t want to get your hands dirty?  That’s ok.  The Agents at your local Geek Squad Precinct are equipped with stout hearts (and rubber gloves),. andwill banish the dust from your PC without fear.  Bring your computer to us today for a tune up that includes cleaning, or consider investing in a Tech Support subscription that offers virus removals, physical cleaning, and other services for up to three devices.

2MM: Disposing of your old electronics properly

An important part of the life cycle of your electronic devices is ensuring that when the time comes, you dispose of them safely and properly. Modern electronics can have all kinds of dangerous and hazardous materials. Today, Agents Nicole and Ish give us tips and tricks to help you ensure you dispose of your devices safely.

As always, Geek Squad Agents are standing by to help you with your technology needs; whether that’s questions about recycling, tips for staying efficient, or helping you get up and running again. Chat with an Agent at Http://www.geeksquad.com, give us a call at 1-800-GEEK-SQUAD, or visit us at your local Geek Squad Precinct. For trade-in or recycling options at your local Best Buy, visit Http://www.bestbuy.com/TradeIn.

For more 2 Minute Miracles from Geek Squad, visit our YouTube page, or check out our Do-It-Yourself page on GeekSquad.com

Security Alert: Mac Bot-Net Infection

“Macs don’t get viruses.” A common thing we hear around the Geek Squad – and a common misconception.  One that is playing out at this very moment, as a large portion of Mac users in the United States are at risk of being infected with the Mac Bot-Net infection.

Originally started off as a fake Adobe Flash Player plug-in installer, in recent months this infection has grown to exploit Java vulnerabilities on Mac computers.

How does it happen? By simply visiting a malicious site, users run the risk of their Mac computer being infected by the “Flashback” infection, and unknowingly becoming part of a bot-net network. When accessing a compromised site, the malware will install itself via a Java exploit.

It happens one of two ways. One: It either asks you to enter in an administrator password, and promptly  installs the malware code into the Applications folder. Two: if a password isn’t required, the malware simply installs to the user accounts on the machine, where it can be run in a more global manner. Once installed, the infection injects code into web browsers and other applications (such as Skype) to gather passwords and other personal information from those program’s users.

“How can I prevent this from happening?”, you may be asking. Answer: by making sure you regularly install all critical Apple updates on your Mac. Apple released a patch that fixes this issue and removes the vulnerability. As of April 3rd 2012, all you need to do is perform an Apple Software Update to prevent this issue. With this patch Apple has been able to fully addressed any vulnerability and prevent it from spreading.

As always, it is good practice to update all of your software — not only to keep up with changes in functionality of the operating system, but to also help with bug fixes and vulnerabilities such as the one experienced in the above infection. Should you require assistance, Geek Squad Agents are standing by 24/7/365 online, by phone at 1-800-GEEK-SQUAD, or at Geek Squad Precincts in a Best Buy store near you.

-Agent David S.

Mom & Dad Strike Back: Tech Tips for Parental Pranks on April Fools Day

April Fools! Yes, April Fools’ Day is finally here and what better way to prank someone than targeting the technology they love so much? And who better to prank that those lovely children of yours?

You know how focused on their tech tools your kids can be. In this case, their dependency on their devices (and the ease of changing settings on those devices), makes them the perfect target for April Fools’ Day Pranks.

Our Agents have compiled a list of amusing tips to maximize your pranking ability without causing any real harm. (Aside from a little bit of embarrassment when your targets realize they’ve been had.)

Change the background of your child’s computer, smartphone or tablet.

What better way to ensure you will always be on their minds than to change their background picture to a family portrait? (To make it more special, use a picture from when they were children and were dressed in a matching outfits.)

How To Do It: Find the photo you’d like to use. If you’re on a computer, right click on the photo. Select the option of setting the photo as a Desktop Background. If you’re on a tablet or smartphone, click on the photo. Select the option of using the photo as the Wallpaper, Home Screen or on the Lock Screen.  (To reverse this prank, follow the same steps and reset it to the original photo.)

Change the ringtone.

Want to expose them to your superior taste in music every time their phones ring?  Or maybe change their ringtone to a personal message from you, so they hear “Mommy loves you” every time their phones ring?

How To Do It: You can change ringtones on the smartphone by clicking on “Settings” and then “Sounds.” You can also create ringtone of your voice using apps such as QuickVoice® Recorder (iPhone, free) or AL Voice Recorder (Android, free).

(To reverse this prank, click on “Settings” and then “Sound”s to revert to the original ringtone.)

Change the autocorrect function on their cell phone.

Here’s a fun one – change the autocorrect feature on their phones so whenever he/she types LOL, it says “Lots of Love.”

How To Do It On an iPhone: Select “Settings,”  then ”Keyboard,” then  “Add New Shortcut.” At this point you can add in a phrase, such as “Lots of Love” and assign it to a frequently used shortcut, such as “LOL.”

How To Do It on an Android device: Select “Menu,” then “Settings,” then “ Language & Keyboard and Android Keyboard Settings.” There you can assign new autocorrect phrases that will appear whenever they type a certain word.

(You can reverse this prank by changing back the settings in the same menu.)

That should do it! As always, if you need any assistance in completing these pranks, or reversing them, Geek Squad Agents are standing by Online, on the phone at 1-800-GeekSquad or at a Geek Squad Precinct in a Best Buy store near you.