excerpt from Adam Freedman’s Dunwoody PC Newsletter

SOHO Office News

Before we get to “technology” stuff, I have to share two great bits of information about SOHO Office.  First, please congratulate my designer Alex on the birth of her son, Vincent Anthony.  Vincent was born on May 27th and is doing great!   Alex is taking some time off and (I’m hoping!) will be so excited to come back to work in a few weeks.   In the meantime, I am helping our amazing manager Rene’ at the store.   I am also scheduling appointments for laptops, iPhones, and iPads at the store.   Desktop computers and networking issues still require a visit and I am trying to fit them in in the early morning or late afternoons.

Secondly, SOHO Office has been named the “Best Graphics & Printing Shop” for 2022 as voted by Dunwoody Crier readers, so Thank You for all the support!

Windows 11

If you have a computer that is capable of upgrading to Windows 11 (typically it’s an 8th generation processor, under 4 years old), you’ve been getting annoying pop-ups from Microsoft to do so.   I have been having people hold off but if you want to, you can start taking the plunge.   It might take an hour to install.  There’s really no requirement to upgrade as Windows 10 will be supported until the end of 2025.  I have worked on enough computers that have been accidentally upgraded and they have lived another day.  And remember, your applications (Word, Excel, LibreOffice, Quicken, etc) don’t care about the operating system and should look and act the same exact way.

Do Not Call That Number!

When you get a YOUR COMPUTER IS LOCKED pop-up overlaying your screen that says that you have a virus and to call a phone number and if you shut off your computer you will do harm to it, don’t believe it.  But the first thing you need to do is to know how to stop the dang thing from yelling at you.   Know how to mute your speakers.   Once that annoying sound goes away, it’s much easier to deal with.   Secondly, hold down the power button on your computer for 10 seconds.   The computer will shut off.   Start the computer normally, and you’re fine.   It’s not a virus.  It’s an annoying advertisement for the 1-800 company to connect to your computer and steal your money.  Do not let them on your computer, no matter how convincing they sound!

Is That a Real Email?  I Didn’t Order That!  Cancel Me?  No Way!

If you get an email that says that you just ordered a TV from Amazon and it’s being shipped to someone you don’t know, my bet is that it’s fake.   Need a second opinion on that and others (like Norton, McAfee, Paypal, Yahoo shutting down your mail, etc), please forward your email to me.   I can look very quickly at it and tell you if it’s real or not.   What the bad guys want you to do is to call the # on the bill and they will convince you to do bad things like give them credit card numbers, checking account info, etc.   Do not let them do it.   Let me help you.

MacBook Air For Sale

I have a 13.3″ MacBook Air, 8GB RAM, 121GB Flash Storage, 2017 model for sale.  The top of the laptop shell is a little scuffed, but it runs great.  I just put the latest operating system on it.   It’s only $300.  This is a great price, let me know if interested.