April 4, 2014

The meeting was called to order at 7:32 pm by Sally Holt. See Lola Hunter at the ticket table, for raffle tickets, door prize tickets, and 3" x 5" cards to write questions for discussion/answers at the end of the Meeting. Get at least one $5 raffle ticket for this month's raffle prize, 32 GB Memory Card and adapter.

Welcome back to Don Odle.

SIG Announcements

Bud Gallagher announced that he is closing the Windows 7 SIG. He announced that on Tuesday April 8, Windows 8.1 Update1 will be released. He has a prerelease version available. He read an announcement that Windows 8.1 will require this update in order to receive further updates, including security.

Presentation:

Geovanni Gomez, manager of ClickAway, explained the services provided by their establishment. The local branch is at 1097 B Street in Hayward, phone 510-731-5521. There is ClickAway in San Leandro also.

There is no cost for a ClickAway diagnostic. They handle both hardware and software on computers, phones, and other devices. You can take your equipment in or ask them to make a call. Taki Goto, of ClickAway partner Verizon Wireless, emphasized how important it is for each customer to be satisfied and that they are willing to spend the amount of time necessary to do so. Their techs have a variety of training and are willing to do what it takes to learn how to solve
each problem. They report that the Yelp ratings at established stores are consistently Fives. The philosophy is that a happy customer is a return customer.

They use Log-Me-In for remote support. They recommend Dropbox for Cloud storage. An extended warranty is available for their work. They are willing to consider cameras and definitely work on flat screens.

In addition to their other services, they are Apple Approved. Because they are so compact, Macs are harder to work on than most PC's; they are generally more expensive also. ClickAway helps recover from all kinds of problems, including water and food damage.

Verizon provides 25 GB of backup space for free. That's a lot of space for a phone. They will help a user set it up and make the transition.

Their favorite anti-virus is TrendMicro.

They rent computers, laptops, and screens. Another ClickAway service is setting up and monitoring a computer "bootcamp" in various communities.

After the break, Diane George announced the Southwest Technology and Computer Conference. It will be held at CalPoly Pomona on June 27 to June 29. This is a weekend of technology seminars and talks, with outstanding food. The venue is Cal Poly Pomona. For more information, to register and to get hotel information: go to www.theswcc.com.

There was a question about the safety of 2 links. One: "Click to for
information about Microsoft Security Essentials end date." Bud suggested deleting Security Essentials and installing Avast. Avast will continue supporting XP. Any link claiming it is from add-ons is probably bogus. Hover your mouse over a link and note the url in the lower left of your screen. The two should match AND be what you expect (e.g., matching the name of a purported enterprise.) BUT BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CLICK.

Do NOT click on the pop-up from a funeral home.This is a particularly
nasty phishing expedition.

Diane says she is getting a "Driver Power State Error." No one knows
what it means and a Google search has not yet yielded a definitive answer.

Sally has an old tower that she wants to remove from her network.
Advice: just unplug the internet wire.

Andrew Tews reported a personal story that illustrated the advantages of persisting with tech support.

More tidbits and news: LogMeIn is no longer free. TeamViewer provides the same kind of resource. But be sure that you have initiated the request for giving access to your computer. Do not believe anyone who calls you saying that your computer has a problem.

Door Prizes

 

Prize	Winner
Abacus tee shirt	Andrew Tews
Alameda County DD Council bag	Joy Somerville
Hal.TV tee shirt	Don Trimble
Maxtor sunglasses	George Kornbluth
Plextor tee shirt	Lola Hunter
Pure Storage tee shirt	Michael Wong
STM laptop sleeve	Bob Dunn
TripIt travel kit	Diane George
Windows 8.1 Update 1 CD	Bayle Emlein

 

Raffle Prize

32 GB G. Skill Micro Memory card, with adapter      Marv Beck

Thank you to George Kornbluth for taking care of refreshments and to
Michael Wong for managing room logistics.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:04 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Bayle Emlein, Secretary