PC Professionals

After 14 years, I have closed my brick and mortar store. I will be doing some light consulting, and a few service calls, but there is no more shop. It has been my privilege to serve West Mobile since 2010, repairing your computers and devices, but the Biden Economy has finally claimed me.

Stay Safe Shopping Online This Holiday Season!

Retail research tells us that over 75% of people are shopping online each month, and, with the holiday season upon us, you’re likely to be one of them. But don’t let the appeal of convenience distract you from the need to stay safe when shopping online.
The number of digital buyers is steadily climbing. In 2020, according to Statista, more than two billion people purchased goods or services online. During the same year, e-retail sales surpassed $4.2 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.
Retailers are embracing the change in consumer behavior. But, do you know who else is taking advantage? Cybercrooks. Before you buy, consider these strategies to stay safe.

#1 Question that great deal
If a deal looks “too good to be true,” it probably is. You’re not going to get a new Apple laptop for $29.99, or the latest Beats headphones or Xbox gaming console for under $20. Anyone offering you that price is trying to lure you to their site to enter your payment details, so don’t be surprised when your product never arrives!

#2 Review seller feedback
While scrolling social media you see adverts for perfect gifts for someone on your list. And it’s so easy to click the link and buy! Still, before purchasing, take the time to research the seller.
Read the feedback from other buyers on independent sources. It adds only a few moments to check sites such as Trustpilot and Google My Business.

#3 Research the business domain
Think about it: who are you more likely to trust with your sensitive data? Someone who has been in business 10 years or someone who set up shop 10 days ago? Quickly check how long a business website has been around. Enter the URL into the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' lookup tool [https://lookup.icann.org].

#4 Watch out for email scams
Before clicking on any offer links in emails, check the URL. You can hover over the link before actually redirecting there and check the target. Double-check that the address is to the site you’re expecting.
Also, slow down and be sure that the address doesn't have any typos or atypical endings. You don’t want to confuse www.nike.com with www.n1ke.co and end up a victim of identity theft instead of the proud owner of the latest Air Max.

#5 Check payment site security
There are several ways to verify the security of a payment site. These include:
• verifying that the site uses an SSL certificate – it will start with “https” instead of “http”;
• checking for a physical address and phone number – call the contact number to confirm its not fake;
• reviewing the Terms and Conditions and Return and Privacy policies – any reputable brand has these!

#6 Pay with Online Payments
When you do decide to buy, prefer to pay using PayPal or another online payment tool. You won't be giving the seller your credit card details. If you can’t take this approach, use a credit card from a credit account rather than debit. You will have more protection this way. You can start a chargeback through your credit card company when the item isn't as advertised and the seller’s customer service doesn't help.

Before online shopping, at any time of the year, update your operating system, and keep your anti-virus software current, too.

We are here to help you keep your technology safe and secure year round. Contact us today at 251 289-9741.

PC Professionals Computers, Wireless Internet, & Prepaid Phones

6 Uses for your old computers

When you’ve upgraded to a new computer, the old one is a bit of an albatross. You paid good money for that desktop or laptop, and you want to continue to see return on investment. Plus, disposing of that technology feels wasteful. It’s not as if a computer is going to compost itself! To help, we’ve provided seven solid ideas for how to repurpose your old, extra computers.

#1 Turn it into a Kids’ PC

Make the computer available exclusively to your young ones. You can set the device up with parental controls software to:

limit the sites they can access;
control when and for how long they can use the computer;
restrict them from downloading without your approval;
monitor their activity.

You can also isolate the device from the family’s home network to further restrict their access and cut the risk of malware infection.

#2 Make a PC for Seniors

Or, accommodate those at the other end of the seven stages of man. Turn the computer into one geared for older family members. Optimize screen display color contrast for those with poor vision. Make the text size bigger. Set up the use of voice commands. You might even use puffy paint on the keyboard to make common keys easier to find.

#3 Convert to Storage

Storing documents, videos, photos, and music on your computer takes up a lot of room. So, turn that extra computer into a media storage device to keep your new computer in top shape. Think of it as an external storage device with much more capacity than a thumb drive.

Backing up your documents and media to the cloud is always an option. Yet, you may have more that you want to store than you want to pay the fee for storing.

#4 Share a Printer on the Network

If you have a printer that connects via a USB cable, you can generally print from that computer only. You can turn your old computer into a print server that shares the printer over the network. This way, any computer on the same network can make use of the printer.

#5 Donate

If the computer is in decent condition, donate it to a school, library, charity or other non-profit. Of course, before doing so, you’ll want to clean it up:

Back up and then delete all your files.
Consider “zero filling” your hard drive so data cannot be recovered.
Reinstall the operating system so it is usable by the recipient.

#6 Sell Parts

You could continue to see value from that extra computer by parting it out. This is a good idea especially when the computer is no longer working and can’t be held onto as a backup (just in case). In some cases, parts sell for more than complete computers.

#7 If your old computer is too old to re-use in another setting, we do recycle. Simply bring your old computers, monitors, or any other electronics to our shop. This does not include old style CRT monitors.

When you’re looking for that new computer or coming up with ways to repurpose your old one, PC Professionals can help. Contact us today at 251 289-9741.