What is the Fedex Notice virus?

Watch out for attachments that say they are from the UPS/FedEx

Malware writers are very poor souls who just sit around and conjure up ways to attempt to get your machine and infect it by using what looks like an absolutely normal email from your Post Office saying your package was not delivered or that it will be delivered.

In that email that you received you will have an attachment which may look like a office document and "POW" when you open it you are infected and you won`t even know till it is too late.

These infected emails are being sent out around the world from here to Timbuktu.

Spam emails and bots have infected machines globally for a very long time by small minded people sitting in front of a computer screen with nothing better to do.

Make sure you keep you Anti-Virus Software updated with all the latest database information scripts and watch out for random emails from someone you may know and from people you may not know that have attachments.

Watch your Anti Virus Software very carefully as they may quarantine some files.

These quarantined files need to be deleted if you cannot verify where they have originated from.

Below is a quote extracted from the FedEx® website

These fraudulent e-mails are the unauthorized actions of third parties not associated with FedEx. When FedEx sends e-mails with tracking updates for undeliverable packages, we do not include attachments.

You've probably heard of IPhones and Android Smart-Phones and all the amazing new functions and features that they have brought to the mobile phone.

Standard features of these phones include:

• Internet Browsing
• Social Networking (Twitter, Facebook and Emails)
• Photo and Video Cameras
• Games, Music and many other multimedia applications

We all notice over time that our computers begin to slow down and there becomes more of a delay when starting the computer and performing everyday tasks.

A computers Operating System is made up of millions of files all working together to give you the experience of using your computer. Over time these files can become lost, corrupted and scattered all around the storage (Hard Drive) of your computer. This is the primary reason that a computers performance gets degraded over time.

Luckily Microsoft anticipated these issues and provide you with some handy little tools to keep your computer running.

Disk Defragmenter:

Files stored on your computers Hard Drive are actually stores as many little chunks that your computer then finds and puts together into a single file when it needs to be used. Over time all these little parts of files get spread over the Hard Drive and cause what is known as Framentation. This fragmentation of files results in delays when the computer needs to use the files because it has to collect all the parts from different places on the disk. The Disk Defragmenter tool moves and organises the file segments into a closer sequence on the physical disk and this can significantly reduce the delay in opening files, resulting in speedier performance of you computer.

To perform a defragmentation of your PC you can:

• Open the "Start" Menu
• Select "All Programs"
• Open Accessories
• Open "System Tools"
• Click the "Disk Deframenter" Tool

When the Disk Defragmenter tool opens, click the "Analyse" button and wait for the analysis to complete.
When the analysis completes you will have the option to "Defragment Disk" and this option should be selected.

The Defragmentation process can take quite a long time so you should only perform it when you have time to leave the PC running. Defragmentation should be performed every month or two for optimal PC Performance.

*If your computer has a Solid State Hard Drive you should never perform a Disk Defragmentation because this can severely reduce the life of the drive.

If you are unsure if your PC has a Solid State Drive please consult an IT professional before performing a Defragmentation.

Have you ever thought that the Desktop icons on your Windows 7 PC were a little bit too small or even thought they could be a bit smaller?

Here is a nifty little trick to get the Desktop Icons and Shortcuts just the size you want them

• Close/Minimise all windows so that you are looking at your computers Desktop
• While holding the "Control"(Ctrl) Key use the scroll wheel on your mouse to either increase or decrease the icon sizes depending on which way you scroll!

These days having a portable Internet connection is very important for users that take their laptops and Tablet PC's out and about. A very convenient way of getting an Internet connection when you are not near your home or another WIFI hot-spot is to use a portable WIFI hot-spot which are provided by almost all Internet Service Providers these days.

The newest technology revolution in this field is the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. This nifty little device doubles as a portable WIFI hot-spot and a wireless portable Hard Drive!

What this means for the end-user, is that any Tablet PC or Smartphone connected to the GoFlex device can wirelessly stream any Videos, Music or files from the device. In essence this hugely expands the storage of Phones and Tablet PC's.

The manufacturer claims the the unit can be used continuously for 5 hours off battery and extends for a range of about 9 meters.

If you are the type of person who often uses a Phone or Tablet PC for watching movies then this may be a very good functional and time saving device.

If you want some advice on purchasing one of these units you can give us a call here at Just Logical and one of our technicians can give you some more details.

Do you ever find that your computer screen just isn't big enough for all the things you need to use at the same time?

Well the solutions may be as simple as installing a second monitor to give you twice the usable screen space.

Dual monitors work by extending your computers desktop across two monitors so that you essentially have twice as much desktop space to use with all the programs you need to use.

For example you may need to take information out of multiple emails and add it all to an Excel spreadsheet. Normally you would need to open the email then, minimise that Window to view the Excel sheet. This is a very inefficient method of working because you may need to do this multiple times for the one email.

With dual monitors however, you can simply have your emails on one screen and your Excel sheet on the other. It's now simply a matter of looking between both screens as they are both visible simultaneously.

To set up dual monitors you will need an additional Graphics Card to be installed in the computer and obviously an additional monitor.

If your looking for a way to increase efficiency and make a much easier-to-use computing environment, then these dual monitor setups are a great thing to have a look into.

If you need a quote or advice on a dual monitor setup, you can call us here at Just Logical and one of the techs will be more than happy to give you some more information.

It was Chinese New Year yesterday which marks the first New Moon of the year. In 15 days the Full Moon will mark the end of the New Year celebrations and until that time we have a festive sale on!!

These Limited Edition Kingston brand 8GB Dragon USB thumb drives are a special release for this year and are now available for purchase through Just Logical for $20.

If you would like to purchase one of these adorable collectible pieces of computer hardware please give us a call in the office or send us an email.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

This week at Just Logical we have a super special on a 22" Wide Screen Monitor from LG for only $170!!!

This LG 22" widescreen LCD monitor features a slim bezel and LG’s FLATRON f-ENGINE picture enhancing chip, for vibrant, true-to-life graphics, images, and colour in every application. It also comes with a fully adjustable base that lets you raise, lower, tilt and pivot, for maximum versatility.

Key Features:

• FLATRON f Engine
• 8000:1 Contrast Ratio
• 5ms response time
• 3 Year Perfect Pixel Warranty
• 4:3 in Wide (ARC-Aspect Ratio Control)

The Windows Recovery Virus is the most common Computer-Virus that we encounter here at Just Logical and can be one of the most damaging to a computer system.

It is characterised by a program that pops up and claims all sorts of problems and errors have been detected on your system. It is not a program that you install, but is installed by a Trojan downloader that bypasses the Firewall and Anti-Virus systems of the infected computer and installs the viral software.

This is not legitimate software and you should never give your Credit Card details to this or similar products that you did not install.

The claims that this software makes regarding your PC having errors and problems are completely fake except for the fact that if left untreated this software will create a large number of computer problems including:

• Hiding all icons, shortcuts, programs and user files- This often results in the computer being unrepairable (But files can be saved!)
• Slow PC performance
• Software fails to open or functions incorrectly
• New software does not install or displays errors.

VOIP is a technology that is gaining a lot of traction in home and business environments and is fast becoming the most popular fixed-line telephone system.

VOIP stands for Voice Over IP. This means that instead of using dedicated cables and switching stations to run the fixed-line telephone system, it simply uses an Internet connection.

Some advantages of using a VOIP system include:

• Cheaper and often quicker initial installation
• Advanced answering machine services including Voice to Text
• Substantially cheaper international calls
• Site-Independent, so office/location moves are easier
• Free calls to other VOIP phones