Keep I.T. Simple
Leave I.T. to the Professionals
JK Solutions News
17.07.10
Has Windows 7 or Vista decided to turn the Aero off?
- (click for the Vista Aero Demo)
- (click for the Windows 7Aero Demo)
If so, you can Re-Enable it using this tool (*link*).
It works on ANY version of Vista or Windows 7. It does a small hack on the registry, so make sure you know what you are doing.
10.06.10
JK Solutions has now become a proud member of the Pengwern BNI Chapter in Shrewsbury and will be looking for some great savings & deals for his fellows members on software, hardware and gadgets.
If you know of anyone who has a small to medium business and requires some I.T. assistance, or have any referrals on possible Network Clients please give me a call on 07074 525368 (no texts).
If you want to know more about BNI or would like to come on a morning networking meeting there is one every week starting 7a.m.- 8:30a.m. Please email for further details.
12.05.10
Do you want Spam with that? It seems unsolicited email has had a turbo boost the last few weeks or is it me? Maybe it's economy driven, or maybe someone was simply bored?
No I don’t want to" buy Windows 7 for $39.99", or Viagra pills, nor do I want an instant qualification, or anything reduced or enlarged thank you very much!
A good defence to this is to make sure your Windows Updates are current & Office/email client applications are up to date too. This will ensure you get the best from your built-in Junk Mail Filters and hopefully wont inadvertently give out any information on a phishing link. If you use our VPS Servers and would like your Spam Assassin "turning up a notch" or indeed implementing if not already installed, please let me know.
Failing this, the best advice I can offer is NEVER reply to these spam emails, as tempting as it may be to let off steam at someone for 2 good reasons...
1) The email addressee on the spam is probably not the correct recipient you need to retaliate towards, in face they maybe a completely innocent bystander who had their email address harvested, then YOU will become the SPAMMER.
2 )More importantly.. . replying can simply confirm that they have sent to a bonafide/real working email address and then subsequently you will be added to the "real" list rather than the "fishing list" and just receive even MORE LOVELY SPAM!
So take the high road, and just “add to blocked” or hit delete.
My love for Spam is quite the opposite of the Pythons unfortunately! (Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! NOT!).
23.03.10
Be careful updating your SBS 2003 Servers. I have had a client run a recent update and its killed some WMI filtering and a few other GPOs settings. Always test on a VM setup before if possible.
For Users that have Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate (32&64bit) who are connecting to a domain (2003/2008) you may notice that desktop icons seem to be intermittent??
It's quite normal. In fact, Windows 7 deletes all those shortcuts which may be corrupted, deleted or broken. The System Maintenance Troubleshooter on its own accordance and following its own schedule, performs a weekly maintenance of the whole operating system to fix errors, things which have gone “wrong” and eventually reports problems through Action Centre.
To Stop this...
- Click Start.
- Click Control Panel.
- Click System and Security.
- Click Find and fix Problems.
- On the left pane, click Change Settings.
- Now, set System maintenance Troubleshooter Off.
05.02.10
If anyone has been working on Networks and needs to check IP address and Subnet Masks, HERE is a calculator to help you.
22.1.10
If you are a Sage Accounts (inc. Line 50/Controller) user, v15 & v16 are quite a bit different from earlier versions. Different share folders, different communication between the Server & the Client PCs and noticeable loss of speed if you are not prepared to upgrade your network. 10/100/1000 Gigabit networks are a must if you want to successfully upgrade and use these software packages without feeling like it was a downgrade. V10 is soon to be no longer supported by Sage (UK). If you are thinking about upgrading (or Sage have advised you too) please contact me first.
23.12.09
JK Solutions will be on holiday from the 24th Dec '09 to Jan 4th '10, although if you are a network client please call the 09717 number if you need urgent support. Happy Christmas to all of our older clients and the new ones - and here's to a great start to 2010!
Happy New Year!
19.11.09
I have been informed by Webfusion that they are upgrading all of their Datacentres. If you are a Webhosted or email client with JK Solutions on either a VPS or Dedicated Server this WILL effect you. Please contact me BEFORE 18:00 on 25th November 2009 as you will need to ensure your site is backed up either by yourself or us AND your Web developers will need new IP address/ftp login information.
09.11.09
Please check this LINK for a great website and checklist for Internet & Network Security. It covers some major points on an easy to follow, layman's terminology website. Great for beginners or experienced users.
23.10.09
Windows 7 is the new kid on the block! or is it.? Inherent problems with some hardware and incompatible drivers it seems....not that after using the Beta release for so long that it was any surprise :-*
It's still worth a little play with if you can download the test version BEOFRE you buy it, or a PC with it pre-installed IMO. Go Here for a screen capture of my install (Most people think it's very similar to Vista Ultimate).
30.9.09
An interesting report was done on spam, scareware and illegal/unethical sites and spam emails. Maybe a little too deep in parts for some readers, but well worth a LOOK (requires a pdf
reader)
21.9.09
Vista (and Server 2008) Service Pack 2 Finally released!! But sadly doesn't seem to fix ALL the problems. Nevertheless still worth installing from a security point-of-view plus certainly wont make things worse (will it?). Go HERE for a direct link to the Microsoft site to download. (If you are on contract speak to me first...).
09.6.09
Everyone wants free software :-) personally I use filehippo.com but I have put up my own DOWNLOADS page for a lot of the more useful tools that I would reccomend installing. Download and use at your own peril, and make sure they are compatible with other software you may use.
04.6.09
I have been asked what the differences between
Anti-Virus and
Firewalls and do
you need both? The simple answer is if you want to be secure then
YES. Anti-Virus software will protect you from viruses and some
Spyware, but if you want to be 100% run some separate Anti-Spyware too (like
Windows Defender or SuperAntiSpyware, or Spybot Search and Destroy - which are all free). If you want to do a quick check to test your firewall, go to the GRC Test Site and test over the internet directly. This is perfectly safe and will give you an idea of how safe your machine is. Follow the LINK and click SERVICES at the top, then ShieldsUP. Click "Proceed", then test ALL Service ports. You should see lots of Green blocks. If you see
Blue or worse still
RED - CALL ME!
It probably means you have No Firewall installed on your PC or the Built-in Windows firewall (XP or newer) or DSL
Router's firewall is disabled.
01.6.09
White Rabbits! and a warning / quick note to the competition. I seem to see a lot of machines on site running the FREE version of VNC.
As that link shows, unless you actually buy the software there are
vulnerabilities not to mention the fact that on the free version you
don't get RSA Authentication or session encryption. The first job I will do when checking someone else's install would be simple penetration testing, and if you are using Free VNC, it fails EVERY time. Go
HERE for a list of VNCs (free version)
Current Exploitations.....
11.5.09
There are quite a few users who have downgraded back to XP as Vista still seems "problematic" and the only thing they seem to miss is the Sidebar/Toolbar. Please go HERE if you would like the XP add-on version for XP Service pack 2 onwards, and if you want to add extra gadgets please go HERE but be careful what you install! enjoy! Also still no Vista SP2 Patch :-( Here for more details.....
01.5.09
The JK Solutions S1 Server has been updated with Ubuntu 6.06 on Linux 2.6.9-023stab048.6-enterprise so users should notice slightly better speeds, especially when working with databases.
14.4.09
Identity theft has now dropped to 50p for your credit card details sky released today go here for full story.
Make sure you are up-to-date with Antivirus and Windows updates or book your PC's and system in for a full check-up.
9.4.09
New Plesk Software updates on the Server (S1) so if you are wondering why the front end on the control panel looks different (and you are your Website admin) that's why. Should make things a little faster for web browsing and email for everyone!
1.4.09
No this is not an April Fool's prank, there really is a nasty virus out that supposedly hits TODAY. The Conflicter Virus / Worm (AKA Kido or Downadup)
can be very serious. Click HERE for the removal tool if you think yo may already have it
23.3.09
I have had some reports and questions about hoax emails and scams and how to determine the difference. Go HERE for more information on what emails are safe to forward and which ones to ignore.
17.3.09
Happy St Patricks Day! - Not all good news though, just a quick Warning to ALL email users. Looks like we have another potential Virus - Win32/Netsky Q. Worm released today as an attachment for emails.
DO NOT Open ANY attachments unless you can be 100% sure that they are from a trusted source and are not infected. If you are uncertain, save to your hard drive and check with your
Anti-Virus program BEFORE opening.
NOD32 DOES catch this.
13.3.09
Insight have just released their Top 12 Security Threats list for 2009. Click
HERE to view and check if you are protected
against most or indeed any of them.
27.2.09
Just had a report that there was another local burglary, these are
on the rise in all areas now due to the Economic Credit Crunch.
Statistics show that a
professionally
installed CCTV system is now proven more effective deterrent
than a house alarm or dummy box.
11.1.09
Test our Live
CCTV page is now online, this is
camera 1 of an 8
camera system please send
comments or questions to our
email address
05.1.09
Happy New Year to you all,
JK Solutions is now back online and firing on all cylinders!
However, if you are finding it hard to hit your sales targets, break
yourself in gently and
shoot some deer!
(no animals were hurt during the making of this game).
19.12.08
JK Solutions is now on holiday until 5th Jan '09. If you have
problems of a serious nature please contact by telephone as emails
will not be responded to until the new year.
Happy Christmas
and here's to a prosperous 2009 to everyone!
17.12.08
Well looks like Microsoft did it again. If you use pretty much any
version of internet explorer you are at risk until the patch for the
security exploit comes out later today. My advice...either make
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com your home page and check for "repairs" on
a regular basis or start using
Firefox
that doesn't seem to require any patches :-) On this
occasion though updates would not have mattered as it was a
Zero Day Exploit, come on MS get it
together!
9.12.08
As the credit crunch hits hard, the PC's still seem to break down
just as often, Maintenance contracts now available from just 65p /
day per PC.
Ask yourself : Are you covered ? Are you backed up ?
24.11.08
Our Partner company
Voiceproof
is now helping clients by
accepting monthly payments in arrears for phone recording systems
to remove the huge capital outlay when purchasing hardware -
recording from
ONLY 6p/hour, per line!
4.11.08
Another customers Server will not restart after a power failure.
This is easily avoidable... Uninterruptable Power Supplies
(Battery Backups) installed for £65! That would not even cover
an emergency call-out and without this protection, maybe the next
time it dies could be permanent?
17.10.08
External USB 2.0
Backup units now available. From
£80 upwards, sizes 250 Gig, 500 Gig, 1 Tb (1,000 GIG) & 2 Tb.
Get your backups fully automated and forget about them until
you need them!
3.10.08
The new version of
NOD32 seems even faster ! Why anyone would
bother with other
Anti-Virus software is beyond me. It runs
so fast you don't even know its there - no slowing of
applications, no hanging, fully automatic updates, perfect for home or business users.
August 08
As I have had 3 calls already for the same issue this month, I
have decided to start a News Page. Please look here for updates on
easily avoidable viruses, new critical updates, special deals and
much more.
If you suspect you have problems with the Antivirus 2009 trojan please go here for instructions and here for the removal software. It is a zipped file and you will need winrar to extract it...