Tellico Village Computer Users Club

Non-Profit Community Computer Interest Group

TeamViewer Tool used by First Level Support

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FLS Home Visits and “Meet with FLS” Sessions are temporarily suspended because of the COVID-19 Shelter in Place recommendation until further notice.

However, please see the discussion below as an alternative means of support during these challenging times.

TeamViewer is a very useful tool to allow the First Level Support Team to provide remote support for Computer Club Members PC or Mac machines.  It provides a secure way (the sign in password is changed every time TeamViewer is started) for you to control who is connected to your machine and allows the FLS team to see and, if necessary, actually to run your machine remotely.  This will greatly enhance FLS ability to assist you with computer issues during this time of social distancing and self-isolation.

If you do not already have TeamViwer installed on your machine, go to How to Install TeamViewer and read how to install the software.

Windows 10 Urgent Update

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The vulnerability in Windows 10 was described as especially critical, and customers were advised to update their systems immediately to address it.

Microsoft released a patch to fix a software vulnerability in its Windows operating system that could allow hackers to breach or surveil targeted computer networks, after the National Security Agency detected the flaw.

READ ARTICLE HERE

CONTACT FLS (865) 408-8223

Are you still using Windows 7?

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Thoughts for anyone still using Windows 7 on their PC:

Microsoft will no longer support or provide updates to Windows 7 after January 14, 2020.
 
So what does that mean?
 
Your Windows 7 computer will continue to work but will become less and less secure.
 
So what should you do?
 
The easiest and most direct solution is to go buy a new Windows 10 computer. A nice laptop can be purchased for $500-$700, a desktop  computer without monitor for about the same. Transferring your data to the new machine is always a challenge, but FLS can help you with  that. Transferring programs are a bigger challenge and it is likely that there will be software that will not transfer.
 
The second best solution is to upgrade your Windows 7 computer to Windows 10. This is a technically challenging solution and may require the purchase of a new Windows 10 license. If your Windows 7 computer is 6-7 years old, then it is probably not powerful enough to run Windows 10.
 
The least best solution is to continue to run Windows 7. If you do not store anything important (i.e. Financial Information) or buy stuff online and only read emails and browse the internet then maybe continuing to run Windows 7 will work for you.

 
For the FLS Team, Tom Verbeke TVCUC, First Level Support
Tom.Verbeke@tvcuc.org

Ransomware Threat in Tellico Village

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One of our members in the Village recently received a Ransom scare in the form of an email.

See a copy of the email Here.

At least one other resident received the same scam.  Perhaps the scammers are picking retirement communities to attack.  The recipient has no idea how the scammer got the email address.  The incident was reported to the Loudon Sheriff, and a deputy stopped by to record the information.  The incident was also reported to the FBI at www.IC3.gov.

Ransomware encrypts your computer and then demands that you pay a fee to restore access to your applications and files.

Sometimes, as in this case, the threat was bogus, a fraudulent attempt to get money.  Such threats are increasing and may take different forms.  The best response is to ignore the appeal for money, shut down your system, and unplug your machine for a few hours.  The incident should be reported to the fraud unit of the local sheriff office.  You should also block the internet attack address, if you are able to do so.

If you need assistance, as always, you should call the

FLS Support Hotline:  (865) 408-8223

How to Tell If You Are Infected with Malware

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Picture this:  You start your computer and wait. And wait.  And wait some more.
When your desktop finally shows its face, things don’t get any better.
Your Internet is sluggish, your programs are taking forever to load, and your cursor is dragging 20 seconds behind your mouse.
You might have tried to open too many programs at once.  Or…

Read the entire article Here…

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Meetings

Meetings are cancelled because of the pandemic Based on member survey results, the TVCUC Board … READ MORE