New Malware Ransomware

You are clicking on research hits in Google/Bing etc and suddenly a screen that you can.t dismiss comes up saying it's the FBI. Seems that you owe them 300.00 for going to a WEB site that has illegal content on it. If you force quit Safari it will just reload the next time you launch so:

follow this link to find out what hackers/Cyber-criminals are trying to extort money from Mac users

http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligen ... s-x-users/

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a con job and it has not infected your computer but has a script set up to force you to hit the leave this page button 150 time in order to get out.
Do not give these guys your credit card numbers follow the direction in the link to get out.

Starting up with the shift key down will allow you to reset your Safari prefs. Sometimes Apples updates are not your friend. 

Before installing memory please check to see that the memory you purchased is correct. Too many people assume that they have purchased the correct RAM only to find that their computer will no longer boot. Be sure to check the size (how many GB) speed  (1067 MHz) and type (DDR3) all of this can effect your computer. Just because it fits in the slot does not mean it is correct. All the information you need for your mac can be found under the apple in about this Mac.

People ask me all the time why they should buy an iPhone rather than an Android and here is my answer. I bought an Android to use with my Consumer Cellular service and I find it’s not very easy to use. Even hanging up a miscalled number is not very easy to do. The ringer has it’s own mind and I have tried several different rings finally found one that works but text messages often give me no clue that I have one. I have been given an iPhone 4 but Consumer Cellular does not support it without modifying the SIM card and jumping though some hoops. So when the Droid finally drives me nuts I’ll take the time to switch over to it.

Correctly using disk images on your computer is something everyone needs to do. Most folks just double click on the .dmg and never drag the program from the image to their hard drive. So everytime they launch their program from the Dock if the image full is not mounted it mounts and then launches the application. At a client site the other day I ran into 25 mounted disk images on the desktop. So if you click on that .dmg and it mounts a disk image on your desktop. (Note a disk image looks like a flash drive and can sometimes be colored.) After you install the program or drag to program to your Applications folder, please eject it by dragging it to the trash. If it disappears from the desktop you have succeeded in dismounting it.

As it has been awhile since I have said this, leave some free space on your hard drives, certain operations require room before they can be performed. Here is a small listing of those items: burning a CD or DVD, installing a System update, and using programs like Photoshop. All of the listed require a lot of space for a short period of time. I suggest at least 10% of the hard drive space be kept free.

I was reminded not too long ago that not all Mac Users understand the trash can. Not just the main Trash located on their Dock but Trash in applications like iPhoto and Mail. Not only do you have to throw away the files you don’t want but you also have to tell the Trash to empty after you move the files there. If you do not empty the Trash the files stay on your hard drive and sometimes manage to fill it up to the point of  corruption. So empty the Trash often. For those of you who put items in the Trash and use it as a holding bin: DON’T. Never put anything in there that you want to keep. If you feel the need to archive some files burn them to a CD or move them to a external hard drive, then throw them away and empty the Trash. If your Trash tells you that it can’t throw away certain files try again holding down the Option key as you empty the Trash. I have even had times I needed to "secure empty trash" before items would allow themselves to be removed.

Always entertained about people who complain about FaceBook. Lets see you get on FaceBook to be found by your friends then you only put data on there that you want people to see, Right? There lies the problem folks that think they are only letting their friends see the data. You really need to go into your security setting on FaceBook and make sure only invited friends see your posts. Do keep in mind that any friend who shares your post allows all of their friends to see it. My best advice is don’t post anything you would not say out loud in a room full of strangers. As long as you use FaceBook posts this way you will never get in trouble. Also never tell people where you live or that you are going on a trip and won’t be home. Your real birthday is your business I don’t mind telling what month and day I was born but leave the year off. I only share things that I want to share and tend to treat FaceBook just like writing a articule for Mouse Tracks even if it is for friends. You never know who is going to read it.