FAQs

FAQsFAQs

 

Some frequently asked questions (FAQs) by some of our clients.

Q?

How Can I Tell if an Email Is Spam?

A.

Some spam is obvious ("I lost 10 kilos and made $24,356 in five hours by taking this special pill!"), but other messages are more subtle. A lot of spam relies oh "phishing", in which a spammer will try to make their email look like it's coming from a legitimate source in order to get your information. They may tell you to click a link that looks like it's going to paypal.com, but really goes to their PayPal-disguised site where you willingly type in your information.

Luckily, you can usually avoid those tricks by checking the URL and typing it in yourself instead. Be careful, too — sometimes those links will cause you to unknowingly spam one of your friends, too

Q?

What’s Wrong with Using Public Wi-Fi?

A.

Most of us put a lot of effort into finding free Wi-Fi, but public Wi-Fi networks have their own share of problems — particularly that it's very insecure. Even if a Wi-Fi network has a password, that doesn't keep you safe from other people on the network.

It's notoriously easy for any of them to see what you're doing and, in some cases, steal personal information or passwords. Luckily, there's a lot you can do to stay safe: follow this guide whenever you're on a public network, and you should be a-ok.

Q?

What do Viruses, Trojans and Other Malware Actually Do?

A.

Everyone knows viruses and trojans are bad, but a lot of people don't know how exactly they work. Viruses, for example, are programs that copy themselves and infect a computer, spreading from one to another — just like, well, a real life virus. Trojans, on the other hand, are applications that look normal, but secretly have code that's doing something else — like letting someone else control your computer.

We highly  recommend reading this explanation for more detail on the different types of malware, as well as the biggest myths surrounding them. And, as always, make sure you're running a good antivirus program — even if you have good browsing habits.

Q?

How Do I Keep My Laptop’s Battery In Good Health?

A.

You've probably heard some people say you should drain your battery completely before charging it, or that you should keep it between 40 per cent and 80 per cent all the time to make it last longer. A lot of this is confusion over how batteries used to work, not how they work today. Luckily, most or all of your gadgets these days run on Lithium Ion batteries, which are easy to take care of. We recommend reading our full guide on how they work, but the gist is: they last longer when you perform shallow discharges, keep them cool, and don't leave them plugged in while they're running at 100 per cent battery.

Honestly, though, batteries have a finite life no matter what, and your efforts will only go so far — so don't stress about it. Focus your efforts on getting better battery life out of your iPhone, Android phone, or laptop on a given charge instead.

Q?

Should I leave my computer on or turn it off?

A.

There is no right answer to this question but there are some things to consider if you are trying to decide whether to leave your computer on or off. One reason to leave it on would be for instant access rather than having to wait for it to boot up each time you want to use it. If you are constantly on and off your computer all day then you may be better off leaving it on. Or if you have an older computer that boots up really slow or does not boot up successfully every time then leaving it on may be the way to go. Some people say leaving your computer on wears it out faster but they are really designed to be left on. Many computers have been left on for years nonstop with no problems. You can have your computer hibernate or shut down components like the hard drive and monitor after a set amount of time to save energy.

If you don’t use your computer too often then turning it off after each use may work better for you. If your computer is located in a hot room with poor ventilation then you should shut it down after using it to avoid damage from excessive heat. You should also look into keeping the room or computer cooler when it’s in use as well. Occasional reboots are good to “freshen up” your computer if it’s been running for a long time. It will clear out the RAM and reload processes and programs that may not be running as well as they could be.

The bottom line is that it is up to you to decide whether to leave your computer on or off when not in use.