Uncategorized

By Ayse Stenabaugh 

You might already know what “the cloud” is; this magical invisible space (online) that stores and syncs all of your digital data. There are many different cloud services that are available. Cloud services are most commonly found on mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets and are becoming increasingly popular on desktop devices for both data storage and data syncing!

Data & Photo Storage

You have probably heard of Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive and maybe even Amazon cloud drive. All of these services can be used to store data and pictures. Any of the cloud storage services mentioned above can be setup to automatically upload a copy of your photos from your mobile devices when configured properly.

Cloud Data Syncing

All of the above services can be configured on your personal computer to allow the storage of data both locally and the cloud. This means that anything you save on your desktop computer in your Dropbox folder (for example) will upload into the cloud making the data accessible from any other device that is syncing your Dropbox. You can also share and manage files from the Dropbox website from any internet enabled computer.

Different applications have the purpose of syncing specific data for example on iPhones or iPads the iCloud had the ability to sync contacts, calendars, passwords etc. ICloud specifically provides 5GB of free storage space, many users don’t realize how quickly their photos can use up this space leaving less than enough space to sync contacts etc.

Data Backup Services

For those concerned with data loss solutions like Carbonite and AVG cloud backup provide system backup services with file restoration with the touch of a button. Services such as these not only encrypt your backed up data but have the ability to keep multiple copies of data as well. Services can be purchased either per device or per the amount of data being used depending on the service provider.

What about security?

When people ask me about the security of their data I tell them this; don’t put anything out there you wouldn’t want anyone else to see. If you are planning on transmitting secure data online ensure you are using a service that is encrypting your data. Do the research on your storage company to find out what they do to keep your data safe. You can even take the time to learn how to encrypt your data before uploading it to the web if security is a big concern.

How do I know which cloud services are right for me?

Finding the best service for you will depend largely on your storage space needs, usage and the type of device you are using. Having someone with experience with the different services can be extremely helpful (Jester’s Computer Tutor can help with that!). Different cloud services have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is always recommended that you try out one of the services above before purchasing any plans to make sure it works well to meet your needs!

Do you really need the cloud?

Can you live without that picture you took yesterday if your phone took a dive in the river? Your vacation, graduation and holiday photos? How about that big project you worked on for weeks that you failed to save to save a backup of before your computer crashed? The bigger question isn’t whether or not you need the cloud, its whether or not your data and in some case your memories are replaceable. If your answer is no than my answer is yes you need the cloud!

For computer repair services contact Jester’s Computer Services (717) 642-6661 located at 5135 Fairfield Road Fairfield PA 17320 or visit us on the web at www.jesterscomputers.com for contact information, hours and directions!

by Aysë Stenabaugh

Usually there’s a pop-up that just won’t go away, or maybe worse, it won’t start at all. You shut the computer down and restart hoping your problems will fade into cyberspace. No dice, the same annoying ad is telling you your computer is infected won’t go away. You try to close it but nothing works. Panic sets in as you search for the number for Jester’s Computers for the fix: the clean-up.

The title “clean-up” may be a bit misleading as it’s a cocktail of many recommended maintence practices that can help keep your computer running at peak performance. Most people finding themselves in a pinch when they seek this service but even if you don’t need it because of a virus. A clean-up can actually help identify problems with your computer before they put your device out of commission. Additionally while having your computer serviced you may learn about inexpensive upgrades that can increase your computers productivity.

As users we tend to forget how many programs we have installed and uninstalled on our devices over the years. These programs leave remnants behind and can cause errors and interfere with programs you actually want to use. Almost every program you install assumes your computer can handle everything it wants to do, which may be the case but, over time as you continue to install more software your system becomes overloaded. Your computer that once only had a few programs running at startup is now running programs you don’t even use or programs that don’t need to load as your computer is starting up, and before you know it you’ve watched an entire episode on TV while your computer was trying to boot up and load everything.

Updates are always a big one as well. Many users are afraid to update their software because they don’t want to “mess something up”. While this is sometimes rarely the case, with a bad or corrupt update, many of them provide security benefits and shouldn’t be ignored. In addition to making sure your computer is updated with Windows Updates, during the clean-up adobe flash, reader and java are updated to the latest versions.

During the clean-up your hard drive is checked for corruption and can help to identify if the device is beginning to fail. Any driver errors or blue screens can be addressed and hardware failures are evaluated in order to provide the best recommendation. Too often we hear stories of people who spent money on a new computer instead of investing into performing maintenance on their old machine for a fraction of what they spent. This may seem like a good option but after consideration of moving your data and reinstalling all your programs you can see how reviving your old machine just might be a better option.

Your device is a machine much like your vehicle it needs regular maintenance to perform at its peak. Jester’s recommends a clean-up once a year, sooner if it begins to slow down or experience viruses or malware. Even if you don’t need a clean-up on your device you will always be provided with a recommendation that focuses on your individual needs.

Jester’s Computer Services located at 5135 Fairfield Road and is open Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm with extended hours until 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No appointment is necessary however if you have questions please contact us at (717) 642-6611

by Aysë Stenabaugh

All of the settings mentioned below must be accessed using Facebook Desktop. To access the Desktop version of Facebook from a mobile device you will need to use your mobile web browser (do not use the Facebook app). Once you signed into Facebook on your mobile browser click on the three lines at the top right of the Facebook page. A menu will appear and you will scroll to the very bottom and choose “desktop site”. If your device asks you how you would like to open the page be sure to choose your mobile browser to open the page instead of the Facebook app. Download a copy of Facebook Data

More and more often people leave Facebook whether for the short or long-term.

You can preserve a copy of your Facebook info in just a few easy steps.

1. Sign into Facebook

2. On Facebook Desktop click the down arrow icon in the top right corner of any Facebook page. A menu will appear allowing you to select settings (or you can visit www.facebook.com/settings ) On Facebook Mobile click on the 3 vertical lined button and scroll to the bottom to access account settings.

3. Staying inside the general tab you will see below general account settings an option to download your Facebook data. Once selected you can click on start my archive. It may take some time for Facebook to gather all of your data and once ready you can download it to your computer.

Create a restricted list

While we may want to add family and friends, we cannot always say that we want to share everything that we want to share with our closer friends. One way to make this easy is to create a restricted list of people who you want to only be able to view your public posts, and will allow you to remain Facebook friends! What is great about this feature is that users are not notified that they are restricted and there are no hard feelings

1. Access account settings (see above)

2. Choose “Blocking” from the list of account settings on the left hand side of the page

3. The first option on this page will say restricted list – Click on edit list to the right of this option

4. A box will appear and will either let you display all your friends or people you have added to the restricted list so far. Add the people you want to only be able to see what you post publicly.

5. Once all users you want to limit access to have been checked click on finish.

Block those pesky games and invites too!

Tired of being asked to save the day in candy crush or send an item to a friend in Farmville? Well Facebook created a solution just to get rid of those daily annoyances. Not only that but you can block invites from that one specific friend who plays a new game every week and even block event invites from specific people!

1. Access Account settings (see above)

2. Choose “Blocking” from the list of account settings on the left hand side of the page

3. The third option will be for “block app invites” Here you can type in the name of any friend that you would like to block all future app invites from

4. The forth option will be for “block event invites” Here you can block all future event invites from a specific person

5. The fifth option will be for “block apps” this will prevent you from seeing any posts from a specific app or game on your time line such as Farmville or candy crush!

All of the settings above can be changed should you have a change of heart by returning to the respective settings page and removing the restrictions.

If you need quick, quality, computer repair services, contact Jester’s Computer Services located at 5135 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, PA or you can reach them by phone at (717) 642-6611 or send an email to: customerservice@jesterscomputers.com