THIS IS ONE OF OUR OLD BLOG SITES

FOR MORE UPTO DATE CONTENT VISIT :- www.ajr-computing.co.uk

Microsoft will be dropping support for Windows XP (SP3) and Office 2003 on April 8, 2014

Follow @AJR_Computing

In case you didn't know already, Microsoft will be dropping support for Windows XP (SP3) and Office 2003 on April 8, 2014. From this date onwards, Microsoft will no longer provide new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.
 
As such, use of Windows XP after this date (on non-isolated systems) is strongly discouraged. Indeed, to encourage PC owners to upgrade from Windows XP Microsoft will be presenting an official notification on the desktop of those Windows XP customers who are using the Home or Professional editions and who have elected to receive updates via Windows Update.

The notification will look like this:
 

Note: this is a genuine notification and not a symptom of malware (which often uses similar looking prompts to entice a user to download further malicious software. (source)
 
Microsoft have also partnered with Laplink to provide Windows XP users with a free data migration tool called PCmover Express. This tool for Windows XP will copy over your files and settings from your Windows XP PC to a new device running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. It will be available for download from windowsxp.com soon.

AJR's Top Tech Resolutions For 2014

Follow @AJR_Computing

From identity theft to online scams to just plain laziness–2013 got a lot of people in t including some of our customers in trouble. If you got through 2013 without a single virus, being scammed, or if you did not suffer a catastrophic hardware issue, then consider yourself lucky. We have listed our top tech resolutions you should follow to make this year more secure and productive for you.

Feel The Need For Speed

There’s nothing more frustrating than a really slow running computer. Start the new year out right. Consider backing up your computer and re-installing your Operating System. If that seems a bit drastic, consider upgrading your RAM. If you have a 32-bit Windows installation, max it out to 4 Gigs of RAM. If you’re running 64-bit, consider upgrading your RAM to 8 or 16 Gigs.

To see whether you have 32 or 64 bit installed, right-click My Computer (or Computer) and then select Properties. You should see what version of Windows you’re running. If it doesn’t specifically say 64-bit, then you have a 32-bit OS installed.

In addition to RAM, add a super fast sold-state hard drive. SSDs have extremely fast load times, do not suffer from disk fragmentation and will increase the overall performance of your machine.

Update Or Remove Old Software

If your computer is more than a year old, chances are you have a lot of outdated and insecure software running on your system. Less and less bad guys are looking to break into computers that do not have the latest Windows updates because Microsoft has done a great job in making sure newer computers update automatically. It’s software like Java and Adobe that might not automatically update that you need to worry about. Update any software you haven’t used in a while or uninstall them from your computer if not in use.

Secunia is a great free tool to use to help find and keep track of software running on your system. Read more about Secunia here.

Add Passwords To Mobile Devices

You do you banking on your laptop. Your entire life is on your phone or tablet. Yet you do not have a password setup to log-in to your device. Ask yourself what would happen if you lost your phone, tablet or laptop and it didn’t require a password to log-in. Would you want complete strangers having access to all of that data? Take a moment today to add passwords to your mobile devices.

Change Your Passwords

If you’re the type of person that uses the same password for multiple websites, or if you haven’t changed your email or computer password in a while, then now is the perfect time to re-think your password strategy. Having complex passwords is important, but using the same password for every site is extremely dangerous. Instead, use a password manager like LastPass to create difficult and unique passwords for every site you visit. All you need to remember is a single LastPass password–it does the rest. Read more about how to setup LastPass here.

Backup Your Files

Backing up can be a chore. Most of us don’t find the time to backup and before we know it the computer has crashed and the drive is toast. In order for you to have a reliable backup strategy, you need to make it as easy as possible for yourself. So here’s how: Buy a Network Attached Storage device such as the Seagate 1TB Backup Plus Portable Hard Drive and then install the free program AOMEI Backupper on your computers.

AOMEI Backupper is a great set-it-and-forget-it program that is easy to configure. Tell it what folders to copy also includes full disk image and partition and disk clone, tell it when to copy them, and then specify the NAS as the destination drive once a full back up is finished change to an incremental this will then continue to monitor and back up just the files that have been modified and new files added. That's it Done!.

Activate Device Locator Software

If your phone has GPS, then likely there is a way to track its whereabouts in case it ever gets lost or stolen. We recommend Lookout for the iPhone and Android or pray for a free alternative. In addition to being a phone locator, Lookout scans new apps to make sure they are safe when downloading. In addition to being able to find your phone, it has remote wipe and lock features that can turn your phone into a useless brick in the hands of thieves.

Be More Diligent

There are cyber-criminals everywhere. Your email is under constant assault, they are calling you on the phone and now even hacking into the credit card processing centers of major brick and mortar retailers. Mitigate your damages. Carry fewer cards on you, be wary of links in emails and do not fall prey to phone scams like this one.

Don’t Text Or Talk On The Phone While Driving

This is something that really bugs me and if i see you on a mobile phone while driving i will personally give you a blast on the horn and telling off i hate people that use a mobile phone while driving. There is also an app for this, If your initial response to your phone ringing or buzzing from a text is to immediately reach down and grab it, then you have a problem. Your problem can get you or others killed.

Install the Android app DriveOff if you have an Android phone or install Drive Safe Mode which is also compatible with Apple iPhones.

These apps turn off text and phone notifications when the car reaches a certain speed, allowing you or your teen to drive without temptation.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we all need to stay ahead of the game as technology advances and security vulnerabilities impact our lives. If you have recommendations of your own, please share them below.

Happy Halloween - "Get Rid Of the Cobwebs"

Happy Halloween from A.J.R Computing 

"Get Rid Of the Cobwebs"

make the most of our special halloween computer cleanup service 

This service includes a internal valet getting rid of the dust build up inside your computer we will perform  a full in system cleanup removing the junk files and clutter, and also optimising your boot time for a quicker start up and make sure there are no spooky virus & spyware monsters lurking inside your computer. And install Antivirus protection if you don't have any!

A.J.R are performing this service for only £25.00 for a limited time only..!

have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Follow @AJR_Computing

Get The Start Menu Back For Windows 8

Follow @AJR_Computing

  

Classic Shell

Do you miss the Start menu on Windows 8 i know i did until i discovered this great program, try Classic Shell before spending a money on commercial alternatives. You'll probably want to stick with it.

Download Now 

Windows 8 doesn't have a Start button. If you don't think that's something that needs fixing, you're probably in the minority, at least for now. Maybe in time, Windows 8's Modern-style Start Screen will grow on users and it'll turn out Microsoft was right all along. Until that happens, there's a flourishing niche of aftermarket utilities that bring the Start button (and menu) back to Windows 8, from excellent ones like Stardock's Start8, to ones that add value like Pokki. But you don't need to pay to get a Start button: There's one tool that's free, open-source, and very customizable. Meet Classic Shell. 

Unlike most Start menu replacements, Classic Shell has been around for a while. Its first version came out in November 2009, long before Windows 8 was even close to public. At the time, it was meant to fix interface annoyances in Windows Vista. That was version 0.9 (the first publicly available version), and today, more than three years later, it's at version 3.6.4. As software projects are wont to do, Classic Shell grew over time, and now consists of three separate parts: Classic Explorer, Classic Start Menu, and Classic IE9.
That tendency of software projects to grow and morph over time is exactly what Classic Shell sets out to fix. It doesn't try to invent anything new: In the project's own words, Classic Shell is "a collection of features that were available in older versions of Windows but were later removed." You're not going to find any groundbreaking UI innovations here, and in my eyes, that's a good thing. These are interface patterns that worked and that Microsoft took away for reasons unknown.

 

Classic Shell ships with three built-in skins derived from different Windows versions, which can be tweaked as needed. 

Classic Shell's most newsworthy component is Classic Start Menu, and it's stellar. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard, and up pops a Start menu, just like you remember it from Windows 7 (or Windows Vista, or Windows XP–you can choose your own skin). Start typing to search for programs, hit Enter to launch. Search is blazing fast. You can pin items to the Start menu, and customize every aspect of it. Never use the Printers item? No problem, you can easily make it go away. In other words, Classic Start Menu is just like the Start Menu you know and love, only more customizable.

Classic IE9 and Classic Explorer aren't as exciting to me, perhaps because I use Google Chrome as my browser and my files are not stored locally on my computers they are on my network shares and file server. Still, if you do use Internet Explorer 9 or 10, Classic IE9 improves its interface by including the current website's title in the window title bar, showing the current security zone in the status bar, and showing the loading progress in the status bar.   

Classic Explorer is an optional component of Classic Shell that fixes a few of the newfangled changes made in Windows Explorer.  

Classic Explorer fixes Windows Explorer annoyances by adding a toolbar with common operations (copy/paste, go to parent folder, etc.), showing the free disk space and the total size of the selected files in the status bar, disabling breadcrumbs on the address bar, and more. Much like Classic Start Menu, it is very customizable, so you don't have to use all of its features (for example, I quite like the breadcrumbs, those clickable elements in the address bar that let you go back up the folder hierarchy, and Classic Explorer let me keep them). 

Before you spend any money on a Start Menu replacement for Windows 8, you absolutely must check out Classic Shell. Its lean and customizable menu gets the job done with no fuss, and gives you the exact Start Menu you've always wanted, no matter which version of Windows it comes from. 

Note: The Download button on the Product Information page will download the software to your system. This file is donationware; the developer offers it for free, but encourages donations toward its development.

Are Desktop PC's Dying Technology..?

Follow @AJR_Computing

With smart phones and tablets at the top of consumer wish lists, the decline of desktop PC's has dropped since the beginning of the year. We all thought it was a slow drop but it’s actually quicker than anyone's educated guesses. Sales have taken a 14% hit, so that suggests that’s it right..? The desktop is  dying out..!

The competition

This year 2013, tablets outsold laptops for the first time in history. Not surprising as they can do similar jobs (don't get me wrong in my opinion a tablet will never replace a laptop as certain tasks can't be achieve on a tablet) and the desktop PC is clinging on for dear life. It is the transition to mobile devices that PC developers haven’t been able to understand or leverage. In fact, Windows 8 will probably be remembered as one of the final nails in the coffin of the desktop.

The problem with Windows 8

In a desperate effort to join the mobile revolution, radical changes were made as Windows looked to introduce touch base and remove the familiar start button that we all love..!. But, why would a consumer buy an expensive computer with a touch based operating system when a tablet is sufficient for many of the tasks they will be working on..?

Living together

While it is obvious that tablets are the main reason for this decline, can we really do everything from there? Sophisticated keyboards mean that emails and even documents can be done on tablets and wireless printers mean we can get copies from anywhere, but there are still more creative, heavy and administrative tasks that we need a PC for. We the experts believe that PCs won’t completely disappear but they need to get to flat-line point where tablets are the primary consumption and PCs find their market as a shared heavy duty option in some homes – probably significantly cheaper.

Who’s still buying desktop computers?

Much like horse and cart to cars between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, desktops and tablets will have a turbulent relationship until ultimately both shares improve in value. Right now it’s quality over quantity for the desktop buyers with people wanting specialist gear for gaming, web development \ graphic design  etc.

Vision for desktops

If you’re going to sell your laptop for cash, it shouldn’t be for a desktop because it is a state of flux that might last for months or years yet. Major efforts need to be made in bringing them to the fore. Cases have to be revamped, towers need to be revitalised while monitors should always be as big as possible. It is all about which visionary can find a way to pair smartphones, tablets and desktops together in order to save and regenerate the market for desktops.

Computer Viruses And How They Spread Online

Follow @AJR_Computing