The Edge Soft

Spring cleaning for your computer! Just think about it – Can’t remember the last ime you were able to clean your PC? Got rid of those old useless files? If you can’t when, maybe it’s time to give your PC a little break and clean it

Don’t worry, many people don’t have the time set aside to clean their computer, but they do have the time to notice that their computer is slowing down. Regular cleanings of your keyboard, mouse and tower, especially since most are in a restaurant environment, can keep your system running perfectly and help protect you from unwanted illnesses. This can also get your restaurant POS system up and working perfectly as expected.

Follow this few simple tips for your spring cleaning:

1. Start with your mouse. You might not expect it, but your mouse could hold lots of harmful bacteria that may cause illness. Use a proper amount of cleaning solution on a lint free cloth to clean the mouse every few weeks. If you or other users have been sick, you may want to do this more often..

2. Next is your keyboard. Keyboards collect a lot of tiny dirt from you – little crumbs from lunch, dust from papers scattered across the desk, and most of the times even dirty unwashed hands on the keyboard. Getting your keyboard cleaned is easy, first you have to turn off your PC, unplug all wires and take your keyboard to a trash can. Turn it upside down, to prevent it from falling to the ground, and lightly shake it or use compressed air to remove any dirt or deposits hiding between the keys.

After getting rid of the debris from around the keys, use cotton {swabs|buds} with a little cleaning solution like isopropyl alcohol to clean in between the keys. Next use a lint free cloth with a little bit of cleaning solution to wipe the on top of all the keys. Finish up by wiping the whole keyboard with a dry cloth.

3. Cleaning your PC. The actual computer component that your monitor, keyboard and mouse plug in to is either a tower or desktop unit, also called the CPU. These units can astonishingly collect vast amount of dirt, especially if they are placed on the floor. Did you just look down at your tower bewildered? If so, then you seriously need a spring cleaning time!

Again, with the same lint free cloth with sprinkles of solution, wipe down the outside vents and around the connections. The key is to make sure you get as much dust as you can off the vents. The more dust, the more heat is produced. is going to overheat.}

4. Dump the trash. How long has it been since you emptied the trash files in your recycle bin? The recycle bin temporarily stores your deleted files before they are permanently removed from your computers hard drive. To empty the recycle bin, simply right click on the “trashcan” icon and click “Empty Recycle Bin” then click Yes to permanently delete the files and free up space on your hard drive.

5. The cache. Another burden for your disk space which can be temporary internet files that have never been deleted. To simply delete temporary internet files within Microsoft Internet Explorer, open your browser, click on Tools -> Internet Options. Under the Browsing History section, you can find the button “Delete…”. Click Delete and you will have a number of choices – Temporary Inter Files, Cookies, History, Form data and Passwords.

Down here is a brief description of the choices under the Browsing History section:

Temporary Internet Files – Deleting this will remove all copies of the websites/webpages you’ve visited, images and media that are saved on your PC for {faster|quick} viewing.

Cookies – Deleting the cookies will remove the files stored on your PC by websites to save preferences such as login information.

History – This will permanently remove the list of websites you have visited.

Form Data – This will delete any saved information that you have typed into forms.

Password – This option contains all passwords that are automatically filled in when you log on to your online accounts. Deleting this will permanently remove all stored information from all websites you’ve visited in the past.

There is also a Delete All button that will clear all of the above.

After these quick and easy to follow guidelines, I’m sure you’ll be able to clean your PC properly! regularly, especially if your PC is placed in an environment, like the restaurant kitchen, where dirts and spills are common.}

The author of this article is the Customer Relations Vice President for POS-For-Restaurants. With over 20 years of restaurant POS solutions experience, POS-For-Restaurants helps you use your technology to be more efficient, more productive and more profitable.

More information on our website: POS-For-Restaurants.com

If your computer has access to the internet and e-mail, then it may be only a matter of time before you get attacked by malicious spyware program, virus, worm, or (worst) hackers. Every day we get customers coming in who are experiencing computer problems due to these threats, and it is only getting worse.

What’s even more worrying is that several of my customers keeps coming back to my office a few days or weeks later complaining about the EXACT same computer problems and ends up paying for ANOTHER repair just to get their computer up and running again.

Imagine having these kinds of problem with your restaurant. Your POS systems being infiltrated, damaged and completely destroyed by viruses and worms. You absolutely have no way of protecting your restaurant POS system if you do not take extra precautions.

The Three Dangerous Threats You Must Be Aware Of

One of the most dangerous aspects of online threats is their ability hide their existence and penetrate your system without your knowledge. Hackers and other programmers who code malicious spyware and malware programs go to great lengths to create programs that are difficult to identify and remove.

That means a malicious program can be downloaded and do its dirty work on your computer long before you are able to identify them. Below are the two most common threats you’ll need to guard against with a brief explanation of what they {are|are and how you acquire them}:

Spyware: Spyware is a computer program often installed without the user’s permission. This program gathers information about you and your online activities and then reports it back to some outside person. Sometimes advertisers uses this sneaky program to secretly monitor their customers’ activities. So Better becareful on what website you visit before clicking on that “download” button.

Most spywares are secretly attached to files you download over the internet, like free scripts, music files, and screen savers. While thinking you are only downloading a legitimate program to add smileys to your e-mails, you are unknowingly also downloading a truck full of spyware programs.

Malware: A combination of the terms malicious and software. This type of computer program is designed specifically to infiltrate and damage your system, this include viruses, worms and Trojans. A malware is designed to be used for malicious intent and it’s harder to remove and will try to fight back when you try to clean it from your system. In some extreme cases, we had to wipe out the hard disk and start with a complete re-install of the operating system. Frequently, malware is also designed to attach itself from your e-mail account to all the friends and colleagues in your address book without your knowledge or consent.

Hackers: Programmers who find breaking in to their friends or coworkers’ computer is fun, but causes no damage, they love the challenge of being able to infiltrate a computer system and brag about it. Today these hackers mostly love to design spyware and malware programs that attacks computer systems causing extreme damage.

So if you’re a restaurant or any other retail establishment owner, having no protection for your POS systems at all, then your system is surely one of the easy targets.

Some of them may have criminal intent and purposely use these programs to steal money and aquire secured information from individuals and companies. Some have a grudge against the big software vendors and seek to harm them by attacking their customers. Others do it just for fun. Whatever the reason, hackers are getting more intelligent and advanced in their ability to access computer systems and networks.

4 Simple Steps To Secure Your Computer From Malicious Attacks

1. Keep an up-to-date anti-virus software running at all times. You ought to make sure it it auto scan and has an update feature that will make sure your computer is using the most current protection available and regularly scanning for threats.

2. Consider Mozilla Firefox as an alternative browser to MS Internet Explorer. Hackers have ways ways to access and effortlessly download malicious programs to your computer via a security hole in Internet Explorer. What is amazing about this is that you don’t even have to click on anything or download a program to get infected. You are very susceptible to attacks if you’re using an older version of Windows such as Windows 98.

Though Mozilla Firefox is a free browser, it doesn’t have the same security problem as IE. A growing number of my clients even report back that they prefer using the Mozilla Firefox browser than Internet Explorer browser. Migrating from IE to Mozilla is a simple and a costless way to add another layer of defense to your computer. You can easily download this browser at www.mozilla.org.

3. Don’t] open suspicious looking e-mails or attachments, especially from senders who are not listed on your address book. Because most viruses replicates through e-mails you receive from anonymous accounts, and even from your friends. If you think it’s suspicious, delete it immediately!

4. Setting up a firewall. A firewall is a computer program that acts as a security barrier, protecting files and programs on one network from users on another network. many internet users will get a DSL or cable Internet connection and plug it directly using no firewall.

The one thing you have to remember about the Internet is that it is a big open field. You have access to the world, but on the flip side, the world has access to YOU. There are special programs developed by hackers that they use to scan the Internet automatically to search for computers with no firewall. And once they find one, they they immediately access your computer, download vicious programs, and might even use your computer to scatter their ravaging viruses to your friends or other computers without your permission.

Just one simple click os a mouse and they’ll gain easy access to your restaurant POS system, collect all customer and employee information, destroy your computer system, and sends out infected emails to your customers and friends using your email account! It will surely be the end of your hard work, a huge waste of money on the restaurant POS solutions you’ve bought, and possibly the downfall of your business if you let this things happen to you.

Michael Tash of POS-For-Restaurants, is the author and Vice President of Customer Relations for POS-For-Restaurants.com. With over 20 years of restaurant experience, POS-For-Restaurants.com helps you use your technology to be more efficient and more profitable.

Last month I wrote about Spring cleaning for your PC. Since computers are something most people use yet neglect to maintain properly, I figured I’d continue down that track with some more of what I consider the basics.

For restaurants, fast foods, hotels, convenient stores and other retail business owners, maintaining a well-conditioned computer system helps boost the sales. whether you are using the latest restaurant POS equipment or not, computer problems can greatly affect your business’ performance. By following these few simple tips, you’ll be able to keep your business running perfectly all the time.

1. Your Computer Needs Maintenance. As you change the oil of your car, your computer also needs regular maintenance to keep it up and running smoothly and extend the usable life. Tools like disk cleanup, defragmentation, and updating your virus protection files are vital to keep your machine running at its’ best and to small problems before they become really big problems.

2. You Need Virus Protection Software. As I’ve mentioned, month after month, the most important piece of software you should have is an anti-virus program. By now you should probably be aware of the attacks coming from the internet and sneaky infected emails. Anti-virus software will notify you before you open the infected file and release the virus to do damage. One key point to remember is anti-virus software will not repair damage a virus has already done. The anti-virus software also needs to be updated at least once a month so it is “up-to-date” to search for lurking viruses that threaten your system.

3. Never Forget To Backup! I cannot stress the importance of a good backup plan! CDs and DVDs, memory sticks and external USB hard drives are all make good backup media. And once your backup plan is ready, use it regularly!

Your computer will eventually die one day. I kinda hate to tell you this, but it makes no difference how new or old your computer is, it will eventually retire one day. Like any other computers, yours is also a machine that’s expert in calculating, storing and processing data. Sadly, machines don’t last forever.

The files you store on your computer may be priceless and impossible to replace, in other words, can never be bought, trade, or found somewhere esle. Think of all those financial data, contacts in your email address book, digital pictures, recipes, and so on. One day you’ll open your computer wait for it to load and then suddenly gets disappointed because it has already retired! At the same moment you’ll realize how important it is to BACKUP your system. Well, what are your ways to backup all your computer data? We find it surprising that most people don’t even have a backup plan. You’ll never know just how much you have until it’s gone! So if you don’t have a backup yet, better start planning on it.

In the retail industry, like in restaraunts and fast food chains, having a backup is gravely important. Why? Because there are so many business info that needs to be kept for future references, like employee and customer info, data on the products or services of the restaurant, and so on. To be able to effectively track down sales and inventories, a reliable restaurant POS system must be used. And by maintainning your POS systems in good condition is the best way to protect it.

4. Let An Expert Do What They Do Best. If you need a computer service, seek out a trained, qualified technician. Your friends’ son may mean well when he offers to “fix” your problems, but many times the problems become worse. This will cost you a lot of time and money in the end. Remember, your computer system is the ‘heart’ of your business. Trained, qualified technician’s are the experts in their field and has the necessary skills and resources to properly fix your problems in no time and in a low-cost way.

The author of this article is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-for-Restaurants.com. With its 20 years and more of restaurant experience, POS-for-Restaurants.com helps restaurants use their technology to be more efficient and more profitable.