Maybe your old computer has breathed its last. Maybe your new college student has informed you that going to the computer lab for every assignment is not working for him or her. Maybe you need a second computer in your home. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided it is time to purchase a new computer. With so many options on the market, it can be very difficult to decide what will best suit your needs. It may help to break down your options into two basic categories: desktops and laptops

"Your computer may be infected with a virus! Click here to scan for viruses!" This alarming pop-up, complete with an official-looking "Antivirus 2009" graphic, can appear suddenly while you are surfing the Web. It is designed to frighten you into starting the "scan." There are two problems with this scenario. First, you don't actually have a virus. Second, clicking on the "Scan Now" button actually introduces malicious software, or malware, onto your computer. The scan finds fake "infected files" and tries to get you to purchase software to "remove" them. It also installs a program that produces fake messages while you are using Internet Explorer. These messages all find some way to inform you that your computer is "infected" and that you need to purchase software to remove the infection. If you fall for the scam, you have purchased software to fix an infection you never had, and you are still left with the Antivirus 2009 malware on your computer.

The economic stimulus package has been big news lately. The funds will be making a difference in your corner of the world very soon. One major beneficiary of the stimulus funds is your local public school. Many schools are choosing to use part of the funds to purchase new technology for their classrooms. Even without stimulus funds, schools are pushing to get the latest technology in the hands of their students and teachers. So what can your child (or grandchild, or neighbor’s child) expect to see when summer break is over?

Is anyone watching Big Brother 11? The CBS reality show is a major topic of conversation in the Beasley household. For those of you who have never seen the show, a group of people moves into a house where they are secluded completely from the rest of the world while cameras follow their every move. Sound stressful? Well, whether you realize it or not, cameras are following your every move more often than you might think.

Every day, at least once a day, someone at Beasley Technology receives a frantic call: “My computer has crashed and all of my [pictures, documents, client records, fill in the blank with your most important data] are gone! Can you help me?” Often we can recover some or all of the data. Sometimes we have to send the drive to a data recovery specialist, at great cost to the customer. Occasionally, none of the data can be recovered. In almost every instance, catastrophic data loss can be avoided by establishing a regular backup system.