Tech Notes

Chrome Windows 10 Notifications – Here’s how to make them stop

Posted on by claritech
More frequently, I've logged into user computers and notice that their right side Windows 10 notification bar is inundated with notifications. A common complaint is that they don't know how they got there, they are incredibly annoying, and they don't know how to get rid of them. The origin of these annoying notifications is usually by visiting a site with Chrome. Other brow...
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It’s coming from inside the house!

Posted on by claritech
Even if you've never seen (or heard of) the 1979 horror classic, When a Stranger Calls, you likely have heard the iconic line, "the call is coming from inside the house". This line evokes instant fear in the recipient and is the same fear used in a classic email scam. Fake emails have been around for at least three decades. Even today, it is easy to spoof someone's ema...
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2019 Laptop Comparison – ASUS Chromebook vs Microsoft Surface Go

Posted on by claritech
This article compares my experiences using the Surface Go and an ASUS Chromebook alternatively for the last several months and reveals the winner. The ASUS C302C Chromebook and the Microsoft Surface Go are similar devices in many ways. I'll start with a summary of each including my personal pros and cons. I'll finish on why I chose the Chromebook as my favourite. ASUS C3...
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Gone Phishing

Posted on by claritech
Today I witnessed first hand a new threat that has successfully infiltrated a friend of mine: a DocuSign phishing email. Hackers have stolen the customer email database of DocuSign, the company that allows companies to electronically sign documents. These criminals are now sending phishing emails that look exactly like the real DocuSign ones, but they try to trick you in one...
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Ransomware Alert – What you should know

Posted on by claritech
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Yet unknown cyber criminals have taken an NSA zero-day threat and weaponized a ransomware strain so that it replicates across networks without user intervention. There is a 2-month old Microsoft patch that urgently needs to be applied if you have not done that already. For older obsolete systems, such as Windows XP, the patch was just realized this weekend...
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Laptop Buyers Guide – April 2017

Posted on by claritech
  I often get asked, "What laptop should I buy?".  In response to that, I wrote a quick and dirty buyers guide that I've emailed out to a few individuals. For choosing a laptop, here's my general criteria: Models My bias tends to be with Dell. Dell Latitudes and XPS models have worked well for me in the past. Lately, however, I've had bad experiences with the...
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Windows 10 Free Upgrade Deadline July 29

Posted on by claritech
It has been almost a year since the official release  of Windows 10. When it was released, it was offered as a free upgrade on machines that are running Windows 7 or 8. That offer is still valid and expires on July 29 2016. We have just over a month to take advantage of this compelling offer. Here are the reasons why we think you should upgrade before the end of July: T...
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Ransomware 101

Posted on by claritech
Ransomware is a major Internet security challenge. This article explains how hackers use it to extort money from their victims and how we can protect ourselves. What is ransomware? In a nutshell, ransomware is malicious software that is installed on your PC through the typical virus installation methods: Through hacked or malicious web-sites via browser flaws or soci...
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Why the Galaxy S5 is (still) 2016’s best smartphone

Posted on by claritech
Released two years ago, in April 2014, the Galaxy S5 remains the best smartphone on the market. Of course, there are many smartphones that have been released since then, including several Samsung models, that have much better specs on paper. The fact remains, however, that the S5 remains the best phone on the market that has three key features that are a must-have on my list: ...
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