File Genie: Blog

6 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Devices Safe

11/5/2020

Most of us own a number of devices, from laptops and PC’s to tablets and smartphones. We invest a vast amount of money into them so it makes sense that we do all we can to make sure they’re safe and secure.

File Genie has put together a list of practical safety tips to help ensure your devices are safe and secure:

Check your laptop lead or plug isn’t damaged- a damaged lead or plug can not only cause issues with the system’s battery due to intermittent charging but more importantly it can be a fire risk. Thankfully it’s easy to fix or replace but you should contact a professional for further advice and replacement parts.
Clean your Laptop/Desktop and Smartphone- If you allow dust to build up on the air vents, fan, or RAM and hard drive it can cause your device to overheat which could result in damaged components. Periodically dust all air vents on PC’s and laptops (it’s slightly more difficult to clean laptop air vents so consult a professional if you need help or advice). Clean smartphones and tablets to help keep them running smoothly.
Ensure you have a pin lock or fingerprint/face recognition activated- If your device gets stolen the thief has access to all your data (think passwords, emails, bank details) so you want to make your device as impenetrable as possible, fingerprint recognition and face recognition along with PIN codes can help prevent sensitive data being accessed and misused. Download and activate ‘Find My Phone’ for real-time location updates if your phone is lost or stolen.
Add a case to your smartphone- one of our most requested jobs is repairing cracked screens. A case will help minimise the risk of the phone getting broken if it is dropped. You can also add a screen protector that can just be replaced when needed. Keep your phone in a safe place at all times, away from vehicles and bathrooms!
Do not switch on a phone that has come into contact with water- unless your phone is waterproof one of the worst things you can do if your phone gets wet is to switch it on. Get it out of the water as quickly as possible and remove the case, sim and battery before carefully drying it off. Putting the device in a bowl of rice can help soak up any residual moisture but it will take at least 12 hours.
Do not overcharge your laptop- many people keep their laptop plugged into the charger even when the battery is fully-charged but this can cause overheating and could actually reduce battery life.

Taking care of your devices will save you money so it’s worth investing a little time to make sure they are clean, secure and well maintained. You should periodically check all your devices and contact your trusted computer repair business if you need any help!

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How to Keep Your Tech Up-To-Date During Lockdown

29/4/2020

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How to Keep Your Tech Up-To-Date During Lockdown

Covid-19 is having a huge impact on our daily lives and many of us are trying to navigate our way through it by relying on technology. There are lots of great apps to help us stay in touch with our friends, family and work colleagues and as a result our smartphones, PC’s and laptops are getting constant use so it’s important to keep on top of your IT housekeeping to ensure your devices are running smoothly.

It’s also worth remembering that phones and other devices can be breeding grounds for germs so it’s vital to ensure you routinely clean them alongside the government recommended regular hand washing.

Keeping IT Clean

Daily:

Tablets, smart phones and laptops will need cleaning more regularly than before the outbreak. Aim to clean your phone and other devices every day. You can just use lint free cloth and a screen/lens cleaner solution.
Do not submerge your phone or device unless it is waterproof with an IP68 rating.
See how to clean your smartphone effectively using soap and water here.
Don’t forget your keyboard and mouse, a quick wipe over with a disinfecting wipe will help get rid of any germs.
As soon as you touch your device you are putting germs back on to it so be sure to continue washing your hands regularly throughout the day.

Weekly:

Check all cables are firmly pushed in.
Manually run a virus scanner if you don’t have one set to run automatically
Back up the whole computer on to an external hard drive and to the cloud. You might not be able to buy an external hard drive at the moment so consider using cloud based options such as OneDrive, iCloud or Dropbox. You can also purchase one like BackBlaze.

Monthly:

Check for any updates of your Operating Systems Windows, Ubuntu and Apple
Check for any other software updates such as MS Office, Anti Virus software etc...
Clean your email Inbox - delete unwanted junk mail and sort into folders to keep them well organised.
Clean all IT equipment with a soft cloth.

Every 6 Months:

Check monitors for dead pixels.
Run a print head clean on printers.
Change all passwords.

Annually

Get your computer professionally cleaned and tuned up (subject to government updates ref Covid-19).

Now is a good time to get on top of your IT housekeeping to keep it operating smoothly and efficiently so you don’t end up missing an important video meeting on Zoom or family get together on Skype!

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Tis the Season of Good Will

21/12/2018

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File Genie Blog - Tis the Season of Good Will

As ‘tis the season of goodwill', this month I’m going to share one of our family traditions with you all.

On Christmas eve, we will be tracking Santa’s progress and he travels around the globe delivering all those gifts to children young and old. There are several apps out there to help – the oldest is the NORAD Santa tracker which is available on Apple and Android apps as well as on your desktop or laptop browser.

NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command and they have been tracking Santa now since 1955 and telling children where Santa has been spotted on their radar. www.noradsanta.org
You might also want to try the Google version at https://santatracker.google.com/village.html

There are another couple of things you can do both with and for the little people in your family at Christmas that we have great fun with.

Try the Elf Yourself app (on iOS, Android and browser) and make some great elf animations into which you paste selfie face shots or photos of family members. This make excellent electronic greetings to send around your family as well as being good fun to make. You can include up to five family members – so go fish out a picture of all your kids and get creating.
https://www.elfyourself.com/

Last but not least, how about a video for your children sent direct from Santa in the North Pole? You can personalise a message so that Santa knows your child’s name and what they have asked for as gifts and so on. This is a great one for bedtime on Christmas eve to encourage your little ones to sleep…well, try at least! Do be aware that this has both free and premium (Paid) options. The free ones are terrific though.
https://www.portablenorthpole.com/en/home

Most of all, we wish you and yours the very best at Christmas and hope that Santa has you all on his ‘nice’ list and brings you everything you deserve.

A Merry Christmas to you and all your family.

Tis the Season of Good Will - written for File Genie by Freelance Writer Ruth Raymer @WritingWalking

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