Automatic Software and Program Updates**

**DISCLAIMER: The software we are discussing is standard software installed on about 95% of computers in the business market. We do not or could not possibly have a complete knowledge of every software package installed on every customer's computer to absolutely verify there would not be a software conflict of any type if one (or multiple) package is updated. Also, if you are concerned about your business systems please discuss any questions or concerns with us or contact your system administrator before proceeding.

Cross Computers, Inc often sees computers with out of date software during our daily work with our customers. When we ask about software updates, most people reply they do not know what to allow or disallow and are they are concerned. We ask about why they are concerned and they mention concerns about malware, viruses and just understanding what software is running and attempting to update on a daily basis. Well, we are going to try to help and make this simple and easy to understand for everyone. Software updates are crucial to system performance and protection from virus/malware or security intrusion attempts.

So, here are some standard software packages and why they should be updated.

1. Windows updates: Absolutely crucial to keep Windows OS completely up to date and patched. The small gold shield will appear in system tray and should be addressed immediately and all critical updates installed. Critical updates fix known issues including security problems. Critical: Avoiding these notices will greatly increase your chances of virus attack, security intrusion or system failure.
2. Adobe Acrobat Reader: Great software program for opening, printing and viewing PDFs. I install the new version whenever it is available.
3. Java Update Feature: Java allows you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D, just to name a few. It's also integral to the intranet applications and other e-business solutions that are the foundation of corporate computing. The Java Update is a feature that keeps your computer up-to-date automatically with the latest Java releases.
4. Anti-virus package: All antivirus packages require updates from the Internet to protect your system. You should always allow your antivirus package to update and scan whenever requested. Critical: Avoiding these notices will greatly increase your chances of virus attack, security intrusion or system failure.
5. Misc. other packages: Our recommendation is if you have installed software and are actively using the software package, allowing software updates will usually improve software and system performance.

We are not going to dispute that on very rare occasions (usually <1%), a software update can cause a program to fail or other Windows problems. The rewards typically far exceed the risk especially when related to Windows or antivirus software. We have fixed hundreds of computers with software/virus/malware problems in the last 13 years but can only document one case of system failure related to updating software as recommended by Microsoft.

Hope this helps and feel free to email any special program names or questions you have....Thanks Rob

**DISCLAIMER: The software we are discussing is standard software installed on about 95% of computers in the business market. We do not or could not possibly have a complete knowledge of every software package installed on every customer's computer to absolutely verify there would not be a software conflict of any type if one (or multiple) package is updated. Also, if you are concerned about your business systems please discuss any questions or concerns with us or contact your system administrator before proceeding.

Best Free Antivirus Software September 2011

The #1 question we get almost every week is "What antivirus software does Cross Computers, Inc. recommend?"

So we decided to write a follow up to our last blog dated August 2010. We have seen about every product listed in PC magazine reviews except Outpost and ran scans using them all. We are still consistently seeing the free versions outperform the pay versions on basic protection. The main division of free vs. pay seems to be if you are business customers with servers instead of single desktop application. The free version does not have central control or work with Microsoft Server software. So, during the last 3 months we used our two top choices (Microsoft and AVG) to attempt virus removal on several infected systems after we diagnosed virus and prepared computer for scanning. If you followed blog from last year, Microsoft had a higher detection rate and removed 100% of virus more times than AVG. Well, guess who has made a comeback to retake the top position - AVG Free 2011/2012. We have seen exactly the same performance features (scan speed, detection rate, etc.) that allowed Microsoft to win last year now integrated in the new AVG. The next step was to check the experts opinion also and I would say the fact that PC Magazine gave the editor's choice to AVG (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391931,00.asp) confirms our conclusion. The exact quote is very clear on their position and quoted directly from their website:

"This free product scored better than the commercial competition in PCMag's hands-on antivirus tests, and it also gets high marks from the independent labs. It now integrates with other AVG products and includes useful bonus features. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 is PCMag's new Editors' Choice for free antivirus."

So, now everyone wants to know what to do if I have Microsoft already installed. Here is our statement and it will remain true in the industry now and forever (no matter who wins the best of the year award for the current year). Software is dynamic, viruses are dynamic and unpredictable so no antivirus software will ever be 100%. The decision to recommend the time and effort to remove old software (#1 selection last year) just to install new software (#1 selection this year) unless you have major documented risk points concerning your company infrastructure (HIPAA compliance, previous attacks, other company or personal risk factors that are extremely high, PCI compliance concerns, etc) is a very tough call and probably should be analyzed on a case by case basis. We still have many customers using the Microsoft products with expected results and protection levels, even though PC Magazine has dropped it completely as legitimate anti-virus solution (not even listed on current reviews page). PC Magazine explained the reason for rapid decline basically was Microsoft did not maintain pace with development of the software package compared to other products on the market, therefore it is no longer even in same target market.

Cross Computers, Inc. standard practice is to perform extensive research, test the products as much as possible and try to help our customers make the best choice they can if they are installing software today for the first time. We are currently installing AVG Free on all our new Dell business systems if that makes any difference in your company's direction.

Hope this helps...feel free to email us directly if you have any comments or need help.

Rob

Reds Tickets available for Cross Computers customers:

Code:333
Friday August 26, 2011 vs. Washington @ 7:10

Code:444
Saturday August 27, 2011 vs. Washington @ 7:10

Thanks to all our customers for purchasing the 19" Dell monitors. The monitors have all been sold and we appreciate your business very much.

Rob

Congrats to Tony B. of Idlebrook for being the first customer to email us with code.

Have a great time at the game.

Rob

Sunday August 14, 2011 @ 1:10pm

Reds vs. San Diego Padres

First to email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) with code: 814

Congratulations to our latest winners:

Tony H. of Bessler Auto and Michaela B. of Bray Truck and Parts.

Check back often since tickets are posted on website before emails are sent! Great way to get tickets first...

Have a great time at the games!

Game 33:
Reds vs. Colorado 8/8/11 7:10pm

Game 44: 
Reds vs. Colorado 8/9/11 7:10pm

Congratulations to Jennifer C. on winning tickets for 5/31.

Have fun and enjoy the game.

Thanks for your business and support.

Cross Computers, Inc.

We would like to personally thank all of our great customers that have supported my company for the past 13 years. We appreciate your patronage, continued support and everything each and every one of you has done for my company and family. Once again, thank you very much.

• Tickets always go to the first customer to respond by email to secure date.
• Please do not request tickets before they are posted.
• If multiple dates are posted, please remember to specify which date you want to reserve.

First Set:
Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers
May 31, 2011 Monday 7:10pm

We would like to personally thank all of our great customers that have supported my company for the past 13 years. We appreciate your patronage, continued support and everything each and every one of you has done for my company and family. Once again, thank you very much.

So, now to the good stuff (FREE 7th row behind the dugout Cincinnati Reds tickets). We went to photo day and are were definitely excited see the Reds team and to be able to give away FREE tickets every year to our great customers. So here are website links to watch since typically we post tickets on our website before we email everyone. Also please remember:

• Tickets always go to the first customer to respond by email to secure date.
• Please do not request tickets before they are posted.
• If multiple dates are posted, please remember to specify which date you want to reserve.

First Set:
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals
May 14, 2011 Saturday 4:10pm

Second Set: 
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs
May 16, 2011 Monday 7:10pm

We would like to personally thank all of our great customers that have supported my company for the past 13 years. We appreciate your patronage, continued support and everything each and every one of you has done for my company and family. Once again, thank you very much.

So, now to the good stuff (FREE 7th row behind the dugout Cincinnati Reds tickets). We went to photo day and are were definitely excited see the Reds team and to be able to give away FREE tickets every year to our great customers. So here are website links to watch since typically we post tickets on our website before we email everyone. Also please remember:

• Tickets always go to the first customer to respond by email to secure date.
• Please do not request tickets before they are posted.
• If multiple dates are posted, please remember to specify which date you want to reserve.

Player photos from Reds Photo Day:
http://crosscomputers.com/our-inspiration.html
and click on Rob's Pics - play slide show

Rob's Blog (where tickets will be posted). Please check back often - we have at least 25 sets to give away over the entire season.
http://crosscomputers.com/robs-blog.html
Please feel free to check out free advice posted here, leave a comment or submit an idea for open discussion.

Thanks again and Go Reds!

Rob

Rob's thoughts on Apple iPad

 We have received multiple questions concerning the new Apple iPad. While we do not claim to be an Apple dealer or guru, we do have 12 years experience analyzing computer hardware and software. While we have always be impressed with the quality of Apple products, we have always questioned the extreme cost and lack of functionality. The Apple iPad at its core is a LCD screen with built in processor or a laptop with no keyboard. So, after some reading and research we found that it has a 1GHZ processor with 256MB RAM (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/04/ipad-tech-specs-cortex-a8-256mb-ram-powervr-sgx-535/). Apple provides justification for poor specifications that their OS does not require the horsepower and memory that Windows based system do. While we understand this to be true but still only 256MB RAM? - my Droid X phone has more power than an Apple iPad.

Second, let us discuss price point. Online consumer reviews and Apple testimonials say Apple iPad is best computer they own while others say it is an overpriced toy. The 16GB model is over $500 without 3G service and most expensive Apple iPad is over $800 (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/family/ipad?aid=AIC-WWW-NAUS-K2-CONFIGURE-IPAD-INDEX&cp=CONFIGURE-IPAD-INDEX). The average laptop comes with at least 250GB of storage compared to 16GB. Personally, I have over 10GB of just music (not including docs or pictures) so I would be concerned about space immediately.  So, now you compare every mini, net book and most standard laptops to Apple iPad price point. You can get many of these items cheaper (with better specifications and warranty) but they are not the cool "in" tech device.

Third, our biggest question is what are you going to do with an Apple iPad. If you want to use it personally (and have the cash), it would be fun to surf, play and read books but for business we still do not see justification. The Apple iPad can only connect through wireless (70 - 80% network speed reduction), has no available upgrades (documented on Apple's website), has no keyboard to type on, just a 90 day warranty and limited business applications (According to http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/apps/ out of all the Microsoft Office suite you can only create Word and Excel documents, while PowerPoint and other apps are read and view only).

So, hopefully this help anyone considering purchasing an Apple iPad. We also would love to hear and post your thoughts and opinions if you already own one.

Thanks

Rob

Article 2: Antivirus software selection

Article 2 is second part of series on computer viruses and anti-virus software. Since, we have already discussed the basics now we can move on to  antivirus software recommendation. We have installed, used or tested most of "rated"  antivirus software on the market and several that users outside of the computer  industry would never know about. The ratings come from multiple sources (software testing companies, technical magazines, etc.).  The best rated (typically ranked in one of top 4 positions on most charts) are Symantec, Mcafee, Microsoft and AVG (no particular order).

FREE vs. PAY SOFTWARE

We have watched the progress and changes in the market concerning free vs. pay software. The first thing most people do not understand is the free software has the same capability as the pay but has less features and or license restictions. Both software packages typically use the same antivirus database to fight viruses so you will not get better results from pay vs. free. You will receive extra software features and technical support from the pay version. Most of the pay features are mainly designed for business use and not needed by personal users. We have installed/upgraded free versions that found and removed viruses from PCs that contained a pay version of another package. So, it basically comes down to the software package which has the best/quickest detection rate.

RECOMMENDED SELECTION

Please understand that this recommendation is based on current testing and data in August 2010. Software is a very dynamic industry and there could be a better performing package available tomorrow. Understanding this concept will also explain why we change our recommendation periodically. Cross Computers, Inc. is doing constant research in hardware and software technology. We are looking for best option to recommend to our customers at all times. If you would have asked us 6 months ago about best antivirus package the answer would have been different than answer today (and probably will be a different answer 6 months from now). So, we consider Microsoft Security Essentials to be the best FREE package available right now. We are still very happy with AVG but have seen several instances where Microsoft has detected viruses that AVG did not catch. 

Here is the download link:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Please remember to remove all other antivirus software packages first. Then download and install new software, update and run a full scan. We will be glad to help remotely or onsite if you need technical assistance.

Virus and Anti-Virus Software

Article 1 - Basic Information and Questions

First, we would like to say that our thoughts and opinions are based on our 12 years experience servicing and repairing computers. We have a very diverse customer base and service all make and models of Windows based systems. However, this does not guarantee that we have serviced or used every available configuration on the market. Therefore, we are looking forward to working with our customers to provide free advice, answer questions related to articles and even learn from your experiences. So, we would like to thank everyone in advance for your valuable input and visiting our website. We would love to hear suggestions for future topics (free advice and instructions on your choice of topics).

Now on the issue that seems to draw the most complaints and anger from our customers: computer viruses. The same questions always come up --

• Why didn't the anti-virus software stop it?
• Why do people do this?
• How did I get a virus if I did not do anything wrong?

So, here are some basic answers. Antivirus software is only reactive not proactive. The computer companies develop a fix only after virus is found. The situation is very similar to real medicine, a flu vaccine is only developed after many people have been sick with the flu. There is NO software from ANY company that is guaranteed to stop 100% of viruses. We will discuss later what software we recommend.

The main goal of a computer virus many years ago was simply destruction. The object was to prove how good/smart I was by destroying millions of computers. The goals today have changed significantly, now they want private information. The viruses today are designed to install, hide and collection information such as credit card, emails, paypal logins, etc. for theft.

The older viruses used to require an action to install virus (open an email, open a file, download software, etc.) The new hybrid virus now install directly from webpage with no action needed. This obviously makes detection and avoiding these viruses very difficult. So, many people ask how to avoid new ones? Well, the easiest to do (but hardest to follow) is watching what web pages you open or visit. The more selective you become about the websites you visit will significantly lower your chances of getting a virus.