END OF AN ERA

Okay, I know it has been three months since I posted anything new to this blog, however we were hard at work preparing for and opening our first shop location in downtown Stratford.

If you live in the area please drop by and say hello. We are located at 123 Waterloo St. S. (around the back, off Rebecca St). We are open most evenings Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and all day most Saturdays and Sundays). It is always best to call ahead however, just in case we are out on a service call.

Now, on to our topic this week - End of an Era.

On July 11, 2006 Microsoft officially ended support for and said goodbye to Windows 98, 98 SE, and ME (Millenium Edition). If you have (or know of anyone who has) a computer running any of these operating systems, be aware that your system will be vulnerable to security risks.

What can you do about this?

Well, there are several solutions. The first is you could have your computer upgraded to Windows XP. In some cases this may mean you have to upgrade some of the "guts" of your computer, most likely the amount of memory (to at least 256MB). This way your computer will be much less vulnerable and good for at least four more years (until Microsoft decides to end support for Windows XP - which is inevitable).

Another solution (if you don't require access to the internet) is to not use your computer for internet access, and disconnect it. This way you will be protected against attacks that come from the world wide web, which is where 99% of these vulnerability originate. If you must have internet access, then perhaps the first solution is the best.

A third solution to consider, depending on the age (and speed) of your computer, is to buy a brand new system, which will give you the same result as the first solution, and you will have a more up-to-date computer that will run Windows XP even better. You could even have the old hard drive (where all your personal documents are stored) transferred into the new system, giving you more storage space for those type of files while at the same time preserving them and saving you the trouble of having to find them all and burn them to a CD or DVD.

What about your old system then? Well, many companies will continue to support their products with Windows 98 (et. al.), so it can still be used for tasks that do not require direct internet access to function.

For example, you could set it up as a system for burning CD's or DVD's, or as a media center for storing and playing all your digital music, or for playing computer games that don't need to connect on-line. You could even create a music or video transfer system to capture music from older vinyl albums or cassette tapes, or even video from VHS tapes, and transfer them to a CD, DVD or MP3 player.

If you are going to consider upgrading to a new operating system, and you've always wanted to break away from the Microsoft brand, this would also be a perfect time to make the move to Linux.

Whatever you choose to do you should act quickly. Many security programs for firewall, anti-virus and spyware may decide to stop protecting you because they won't be able to guarantee a safe internet environment when you are running an operating system that is inherently vulnerable.

One such company I came across right away was the popular firewall program Zone Alarm. They almost immediately stopped issuing updates and software downloads for their program to systems running these now obsolete operating systems.

So, take care to do the right thing to keep your computing safe.

Thanks for reading, and remember - Live it, Live!

Troy Roach

OnSite Technology

519-40-GEEKS

519-404-3357

www.onsitetechnology.ca

Visit my other blog "Site of the Month" for my picks of the internet's best web sites, links and technology.