Microsoft recently announced that it is preparing to release (to developers of course) Windows 10. This new version of Windows has many new features that seems to ‘marry’ the beloved features of Windows 7, with the ‘nifty’ features of Windows 8. If you or your business is in the market for a new computer, but it isn’t necessarily an emergency, I would wait until Windows 10 is out. Sadly, there is no ETA as to when Windows 10 will be release to the public, but I would imagine by Spring. I would recommend sticking with Windows 7, at least until 10 comes out. Windows 7 is tried and true and will carry its weight until 10 is fully released and ready to be deployed. If you are in the market for a new PC, I would definitely try to get it with Windows 7 installed. Unfortunately, many of the hardware companies are forcing Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 onto new devices. There are a few that still allow you to configure a PC with Windows 7. If you are unable to find a computer with Windows 7, then I would recommend letting us know as we may be able to downgrade you to Windows 7 (if your computer supports it). Windows 8.1 isn’t the worst thing in the world, but based on what I have seen with Windows 10, it may be best to just wait until it is released to the...
Read MoreLet’s face it; we store our entire digital lives on our computers. Gone are the days of using 35mm film to capture life’s moments – now we point, shoot, upload, copy and ultimately store those moments in time on our computer (can you even remember the last time you actually printed out a photo?!). Alongside our photos are thousands of hours of our favorite tunes, videos that have been collected over the years and don’t forget your college essay’s (or your children’s homework assignments). All of these files create our digital collection of personal items that if we were to lose, would create sheer pandemonium and of course, probably make you cry. Here’s a question, where do you keep your Social Security card? What about your birth certificate? If you like to keep a stash o’ cash, where do you have that? Exactly. You don’t leave it out, unprotected (if you do, well I am sorry to hear that, but maybe you want to re-think where you keep some of the most important documents one could ever posses!). Chances are, you have a safe, a safe-deposit box at a bank, or some other ‘vault’ to store these items. These items are protected from fire, theft or any other form of destruction; but what about your digital collection of personal items? You know where I am going with this. Chances are you haven’t backed up anything. There’s a device in your computer called a hard drive. This is the device that holds all of your valuable information. This device is like a ticking time bomb, just sitting there, spinning away, creating all sorts of heat and noise until one day ‘click click – click click – click click’ and NOTHING! It either refuses to power on, or it spins up but makes god-awful clicking sounds (or some other sounds) and your computer doesn’t turn on and basically, everything that was stored on it is gone, damaged, or incredibly difficult to recover. How do you avoid this conundrum? Back up your data, silly! It really isn’t that difficult, nor is it expensive! There are myriad of free programs/apps out there that will do the job and all you need is an...
Read MoreEDIT: 4/29/2014 Microsoft announced over the weekend that ALL VERSIONS OF INTERNET EXPLORER have a MAJOR security flaw that will allow an attacker to fully gain access and take control of your computer. While the attacks are primarily targeted at government and financial agencies, any user of Internet Explorer (the Blue ‘E’), will be susceptible to this attack. What’s worse, Microsoft IS NOT going to release a patch for users of Windows XP. This further exemplifies the need to get away from Windows XP and move towards Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you still need to use Windows XP, then it is highly recommended that you use another web browser such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Opera. Cross Island Computers can certainly help you with anything pertaining to Windows XP or security issue. As of April 8th, 2014 Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows XP. What does this mean for you? Well, your computer will no longer receive updates from Microsoft. This could potentially open your computer up to attacks from hackers and other creeps on the internet. When a ‘hole’ is found in the operating system, Microsoft will no longer fix it leaving your computer vulnerable to anything out there in the wild west of the web. Cross Island Computers can help your Long Island or New York based business upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 or even Windows 8. We can build custom Windows images that are tailored to the needs of your business and deploy this image to any number of machines that you may have. We can also assist with upgrading any software to ensure that it will function with the newer versions of Windows. Not a business but worried about your personal/home computer being attacked? Not a problem! We can help you with purchasing a new computer or if possible, upgrading your current computer to Windows 7 or Windows 8. Cross Island Computers highly recommends that you make this upgrade sooner rather than later. The world isn’t going to come to an end on April 8th, but I wouldn’t go for more than a few months at most without making the change. Call us today, 631-894-7450 and we will help guide you through saying goodbye to...
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