12 Things the computer guy does/does not want you to know.

Originally this post was to be titled, Top 12 things your computer guy wants you to know, but then we realized that these tips fell into two categories, the things that good computer guys wanted you to know, and bad computer guys don't want you to know. So here by request is our first edition list of things that we want you to know, but THEY may not.

Part 1: At home

1. Hard drives are terribly unreliable. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP! There are many easy ways to protect your files. Get a Gmail account and email important documents to yourself. Burn family pictures to DVD and put them somewhere other than your house. Hard drives fail, sometimes for no reason and it is not always possible to get your data back even if money is no object. If you hear your drive making strange noises or clicking, get it to a computer guy immediately. They call it the Click O’ Death for a reason.

2. Never pay for a Spyware or Antivirus program that suddenly shows up, says you have an infection and demands money. It is already too late and paying them will not get your system fixed. Read dialog boxes before you click on them, know what you are agreeing to when one pops up.

3. Never put personal or compromising information on a MySpace or FaceBook page and always keep your profile private. ANYTHING that you put on Myspace, might as well be on CNN. Also, realize that most of the Spyware that people are getting now come from the code embedded in the free MySpace layouts that people put on their pages.

4. It is never legal to login to another person's email or MySpace page, etc without their explicit permission. Even if it is your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend. It is a crime and those sites keep track of where people login from. Also, it is only legal to record/monitor in real time the computer activities of a person if they are your kid. You can monitor your employees but you have to warn them. It is the same as recording someones phone calls and can be a felony. Putting a keylogger or spy program on your own computer and letting someone use it without warning them is a crime as well.

5. Don’t be that guy. Before you forward any email virus warning/ unreported political bombshell or cute greeting card take a minute to go to http://snopes.com/ and check it out. Save yourself from spreading untruths and looking like a moron.

6. Realize when you call product tech support, Dell or whomever, their job is not to solve your problem. Their job is to get you off the phone as fast as possible. Phone support people (in India or wherever) get paid on how many calls they answer a day, NOT on how many problems they solve. This is why they will give you something to try and then rush you off the phone telling you to call back if that doesn't work. You will probably have to call back, but you will get a different support rep and they have now gotten credit for a call. Furthermore, they are penalized for allowing returns or warranty repairs even if those repairs are legitimate. Remember that many times the person you are talking to has never actually used or seen the product in question. They have a book in front of them that may contain only slightly more information than the user manual. Understanding this, the way to get things accomplished have a good idea of what the problem is, what you have already tried to do, what you need from them and be concise in your descriptions. Be firm and polite and don't be afraid to make the person stay on the phone while you do the steps that they have suggested. It is a good idea to check Google first to see if other people have reported the same problem as well. Many times a company will deny there is a problem with their products but you will find hundreds of complaints online if you check.

Part 2: In the Store

1. Retail computer sales people typically have absolutely no idea what they are talking about and will lie to you to make you think they do. If you do not have a tech you trust, pick up a PC magazine or spend some time on the web. Realize that sales guys will tell you anything to get you to buy something from them. Do your research, ask the questions and then do more research.

2. Vista is as bad or worse than you have heard and most of the troubles people are having can’t be fixed or worked around. You can still get Windows XP on systems, you just have to know where to go and how to ask.

3. Yes Macs are great, but the software is more expensive and harder to copy so borrowing your friend's copy of Photoshop isn’t going to work.

4. Buy Extend Warranties ONLY on laptops and ONLY if they cover accidental damage. Buyback/tech assurance plans like Tech Forward are rip-offs. Do the math and it doesn't make sense.

5. Rebates are like grocery store loyalty cards, often times they raise the prices to make you think the rebate constitutes a savings. Never buy a product based on the rebate price. Rebates should be considered a bonus, not a discount. It is often times very difficult to actually get your rebate, they are most often a scam. People don’t realize that vendors will only give you one rebate per address /receipt regardless of how many you buy. Thinking of getting a couple new monitors for the office because of a rebate price? You will only get the rebate on the first one, and pay full or higher prices on the rest of them. Oh, and the big reason why stores require you to cut out the UPC and send the original receipt with your rebate form is that once you send off for the rebate, it makes returning the product next to impossible.

6. Never take your computer to a tech shop (Geek Squad, Firedog etc.) if you have data that you are concerned may be lost or compromised. Just as you wouldn’t leave cash on your dashboard at Jiffy Lube, realize that combining personal files and bored computer techs is asking for trouble. Retail techs actually have website where they post the things they find on peoples computers. They will look through your data and they will justify it as an obligation to make sure there is no illegal activity. They will copy your music and steal your pictures. If there is any compromising images they will end up on the Internet. Find a tech you know personally and can trust.

Bonus 6b. Oh, and if you are doing illegal things and try to use special programs to securely delete files from your computer, the files may or may not be gone, but investigators will be able to tell you cleaned it. Everything leaves a trace, everything is recorded, everything is logged.

There you have our first list of 12 things the computer guy does/does not want you to know. Please email us with comments or use the comment feature of this Blog to let us know what you think, and as always, if you have any questions please feel free to email us. :)