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Apple Users Beware of Find My iPhone Exploit We are warning all customers with iPhones and iPads to immediately back up their devices either to their iCloud account or personal computers. Several news outlets have reported that hackers are using a Find My iPhone exploit to remotely lock-up iPhones and iPads. The "Find My iPhone" feature is a safety mechanism that allows a user to lock-down and erase sensitive data if their device is lost or stolen. However, in the wrong hands, this feature can be used to disable devices and, in the case of this attack, demand a ransom to reactivate it. The hackers are using a classic attack known as "phishing" to set up sites that look like legitimate Apple websites. Users enter their email and password into sites, not knowing it is a fake. Then, hackers use this information to access and lock the devices using the "Find My iPhone" feature to demand a ransom in exchange for unlocking the device. Back Up Before Its Too Late Again, if you haven't done so already, backup your data to iCloud or your computer. Users should bring their devices to the nearest Apple store if they've been compromised. It is important to set up your iCloud account and backup your data immediately. Doing so is the only way to get your photos, pictures and music back after a hardware reset. For more information on this attack, visit BGR.com or ArsTechnica.com. Stay protected from exploits like this. Call now at 570-235-1946 or visit our Contact Page...

Attention Windows XP Users On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will be ending its support for Windows XP. This means that Windows XP will be left open and vulnerable to any future attacks. In the past, hackers found security holes and exploits that would allow them to  stealing your valuable information. In the past, Microsoft protected you with security patches. From April 8 on, however, these patch updates will no longer be released. That means any new holes or exploits will remain forever. If you are a home user, your personal information -- along with anything else stored on your computer -- could become accessible to anyone knowing how to exploit these security holes. As such, it's very important that you upgrade to any operating system later than XP. This includes Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you run a business that has computers running Windows XP, it could mean the end of certain security certifications. Running a computer with XP will soon become a liability. If your business relies on storing the information of customers and clients, this data could be easily available to hackers capable of exploiting new found security holes in your systems! A quick call is all it takes to make sure you have everything you need to keep your computers running safe and secured. Call us at 570-235-1946 or visit our Contact Page...

According to CoinMap.org, NEPA Geeks is the one of the only computer repair shops (if not the ONLY computer repair shop) in North-East Pennsylvania that accepts Bitcoin for computer repair. Well, as far as we can tell, based on the screenshot below: [caption id="attachment_2018" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This map shows businesses in NEPA that accept Bitcoin, including Centerline Guitar Repair Shop in Hazleton.[/caption] If you've never heard of Bitcoin, it's an open source peer-to-peer payment network and digital currency that was introduced in 2009 and has been steadily increasing in popularity and worldwide acceptance as a legitimate currency. One of the facets of Bitcoin that make it so attractive to businesses and merchants such as ours is the low transaction fee associated with transferring funds. Typically, the transaction fee is lower than the 2 to 3% charged by most credit card companies. This reduced fee helps us keep costs low, which we then pass on to customers and clients by keeping our rates for repairs low. All in all, if we can keep the regular cost of doing business down, it's better for everyone, and that's why we've decided to incorporate Bitcoin as a method of payment. We accept Bitcoin for computer repair, web hosting, iPhone and Android repair, and even game console repairs. The cost of parts and all of these services, and many not even listed here, are easily paid for using Bitcoin. So, if you're one of the many early adopters of this brave, new, digital frontier, we'd be more than happy to assist you by allowing you to pay in the currency of your choice! (Litecoin also accepted!) For more information, stop in or give us a call. We're always here to help....

Because we care about our customers, we want you all to be on alert for a new strain of malware going around. It's called CryptoLocker, and it extorts money from victims by encrypting their files and holding them for ransom. [caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignright" width="300"] Image source: GrahamCluely.com[/caption] What is CryptoLocker? It's a nasty piece of malware (or ransomware) that encrypts the files on a victim's hard drive, rendering them unreadable. Photos, documents, PowerPoint Slides, etc...

Shop small and save big on repairs this Small Business Saturday As part of Small Business Saturday, NEPA Geeks are extending an offer to save 20% on all repair services. To redeem the offer, just bring your broken computer, phone or video game console into the shop on Saturday, November 30 to receive a 20% discount on the service charge to repair it. That's all there is to it. Cracked screen? Overheating XBox? Viruses and spyware plaguing your laptop? We'll take care of it, and you'll reap the savings. Small Business Saturday is an effort that is sponsored by American Express and began as a way to show support to all small and local businesses in cities and towns across America. We're just one of the many shops that are taking place in this great cause that helps stimulate the economy, create new jobs and improve the community. Over 100 million people shop at independently-owned and operated businesses each Small Business Saturday, and we'd be very honored if you chose to shop small by bringing your computer or cell phone to us for repair. As always, computer diagnostics are free, and our technicians are always willing to make house calls if you can't bring your equipment to the office. For any questions or problems you might be having, just give us a call at 570.474.5100 and our address is 108 N. Mountain Blvd. Suite B, Mountain Top, PA 18707. We can also be reached at staff@nepageeks.com For more information on Small Business Saturday, visit ShopSmall.com....

This Saturday is the 2nd annual NEPA BlogCon, and the NEPA Geeks are very proud to be a part of it! If you haven't heard of NEPA BlogCon, it's an annual, day-long conference set to take place at the Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, PA on October 5, 2013. Along with discussion of how to become a blogger (or a better blogger) there will be plenty of chances to meet and mingle with many of the other notable bloggers and blogging personalities that live and work throughout North-East Pennsylvania. Not only will we be attending the conference, one of our technicians, Dale Culp, will be giving a presentation on the importance of setting up a domain name for marketing and branding purposes. So, if you happen to be there, be sure to sit in on his presentation. And, afterwards, meet up with the Geeks to talk more about how our hosting services can help take your blog to the next level! In the meantime, the NEPA Geeks "geek blog" has been nominated for a NEPA BlogCon Blog of the Year award! However, we can't win the award without your help...

[caption id="attachment_1855" align="alignright" width="226"] The BBB plaque on our wall.[/caption] One of the backbones of a good business partner is trust, and we work extremely hard to be worthy of that trust. From ensuring that we use only quality parts when replacing and repairing your electronic equipment to making sure our customers are satisfied with the work that we do at a fair price, trust goes into every step of the process. Recently, we've taken a much larger step towards building trust with our customers by becoming accredited with the Better Business Bureau. As of June 17, 2013, NEPA Geeks is a fully accredited business with the BBB. What this means is that we are being held to a whole new level of accountability. By becoming accredited, we've put ourselves out there as a name that can be trusted and a business that works hard to keep that trust. The standards for becoming a BBB accredited business include honest advertising, transparency, a vow to honor all promises, responsive service, integrity and the utmost of security when it comes to safeguarding your private information. Of course, these are standards we've held ourselves to long before becoming accredited, but now you know that we take these issues very seriously. When it comes to computer repair, web hosting, cellphone repair, or any of the many services that we offer, wouldn't you rather work with a business that pledges to keep and honor the practices and standards set forth by the BBB? We think so. And that's our promise to you....

This week, we are extremely honored to be the NEPA Blogs "Blog of the Week" and featured on WBRE's "PA Live!"   Each Tuesday, NEPA Blogs features a different blog that either caters to news and information about North-East PA or is maintained by a blogger located in North-East PA and presents them on WBRE's "PA Live!." Both Jason and I are proud to share this distinction as we each strive to provide a useful service to the community as well as building a successful business. Be sure to watch "PA Live!" at 4 pm on WBRE to see our blog! Update: Just in case you missed it when the segment aired on TV, the video is now available on the PA Live! site....

[caption id="attachment_1798" align="alignright" width="300"] We've seen worse, but don't let your computer get this dusty before you come see us![/caption] Time for a PC Spring Cleaning It seems like the last few weeks, our number one service request has been to replace bad power supplies. The power supply is a metal box inside your computer (usually with a fan inside) and distributes power to the mother board, disc drives and various other components. It's the part with the black cable that plugs into your wall. You can see what one looks like in the upper right-hand corner of the picture to the right. So, why are we seeing so many dead power supplies? Well, between Jason and I, we came up with a couple of theories. DUST For one, despite Punxsutawney Phil's prediction that spring would come early this year, we just haven't seen it, yet. As a result, people are keeping their doors and windows closed -- many with weather stripping to seal up drafts. If you aren't dusting and vacuuming regularly, dust gets trapped and builds up inside your house, especially for households that smoke, run their fireplace or use coal for heat. Dust gets pulled into your computer and sticks to the fans, grates and other components, clogging up airways and acting like insulation, keeping the heat from dissipating when components begin to warmup. Dust that clings to fans can cause them to fail sooner as they struggle to keep the air flowing through your PC. A bad fan isn't just a noisy nuisance, though, it can allow a PC to overheat, which can lead to a cooked CPU and video card, burned out motherboard or power supply. Once a PC begins to overheat, if not immediately shut down, the various parts inside can be ruined in just a matter of seconds. It doesn't take long! DRY AIR Dry air isn't just bad for your skin, it's bad for your computer, too. Ever get a shock when touching a door knob or another person after rubbing your feet across a carpet? That tiny jolt might sting for a fraction of a second, but it can utterly destroy the vital electronics inside your computer. Dry skin rapidly sheds dead cells which become dust and mix with other particles in the air, each becoming charged and building up static electricity. Those charged particles build up inside your computers and can allow the components to short or discharge, frying them in the blink of an eye. This is also why it's important to be properly grounded if you ever venture to open your computer's case and poke around inside. If your body has built up a static charge, you could easily zap any of the chips inside and permanently damage them. It's best to keep your computer cleaned out, free of dust, and to never touch anything inside the computer if you're not grounded and have allowed the static electricity to safely discharge. WORKING OVERTIME Another drawback of the overdue spring is that people are staying inside, using their computers more instead of going outside to enjoy the nice weather. Our modern PCs are an endless source of entertainment and diversion, from playing video games to watching movies and TV shows, chatting online or catching up with friends over social media. Those long hours add up, and as the computer constantly works to stay cool, eventually it will wear out. Power supplies generally last well beyond the useful years of the average PC, meaning that you'll probably be ready to upgrade to a whole new system before you have to worry about one burning out. However, for the reasons I've stated here, some power supplies might burn out much sooner than others. In conclusion, whether due to wear and tear over the years from working under normal conditions, a build-up of dust that leads to overheating, or electrical shock damage from static or other sources (lightning strikes, power surges, brown outs) power supplies can go bad for a variety reasons. Why does it seem to be happening so often these last few weeks? That's anyone's guess. But with spring just around the corner, it's definitely time to look into getting your computer cleaned out. Give us a call if your computer isn't booting properly or is overheating, randomly shutting down, making a lot of noise or just needs a good cleaning out. We're more than happy to help! As a note of caution, if you decide to clean your PC out yourself, be extra careful around the power supply, and NEVER open it unless you are specifically qualified to do so! There are components inside your power supply that can build up a dangerously high level of voltage that can kill you if discharged. Play it safe! Contact an expert, like us, if unsure.  ...

Cracked laptop screen? We can fix that. Earlier this week, we finished replacing the broken screen on a laptop that had been dropped. As you can see from the picture below, it was in pretty sorry shape. [caption id="attachment_1780" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Before and after shot of a cracked laptop screen.[/caption] Although it might seem like a catastrophe, this sort of damage doesn't mean the laptop has been totaled. As we often do with a job like this, we ask clients deposit the amount necessary to cover the price of a new part before we do any work. From there, we simply wait for the part to arrive (which, unfortunately, can sometimes take as long as a week) and then get the laptop back up and running in a matter of hours. And all this for much less than it would cost to buy a new laptop! Most of the time, replacing a cracked laptop screen or defective part costs so little compared to the price of a new laptop that getting the old one repaired is very cost effective. Sometimes, however, it isn't. In those cases, either when a part is soldered directly to the board, or when the laptop is so old that parts for it are no longer available, you don't get much of a choice. We'll make sure you understand your options and tell you when buying a new laptop is the way to go. If you're ever unsure whether a laptop can be fixed or not, it's always best to give us a call and let us take a look at it. You might even be surprised to learn that the laptop wasn't broken at all, it just needed some TLC to get up and running again. Another thing to consider when thinking about buying a new laptop is that, while it might be cheaper, it's not always more convenient. Your laptop is probably stuffed with old memories, projects and other things you don't want to lose. You probably have photos from vacations on there, movies and music, homework and gigabytes worth of other important data you can't replace. If the laptop is so broken that it can't even turn on -- assuming the hard drive isn't dead -- how will you get that data off? Fortunately, we have tools that can help. Whether you want the data backed-up to an external drive or transferred to the new computer, we're more than happy to assist you. Each of these laptops were repaired, cleaned and returned to their owners in perfect working order. Dell, Asus, Sony, HP...