I know a number of our clients rely on LogMeIn. It's now eliminating it's free service. Looking for a replacement? Try Teamviewer or Chrome Remote Desktop. We use Chrome Remote Desktop daily at IT Xpress.

Five Best Remote Desktop Tools
lifehac.kr
Managing your own computer from afar or troubleshooting a family member's PC without being in front of it is much easier when you have a good remote desktop utility to rely on. This week we're going to look at five of the best remote desktop and management tools, based on your nominations.

I'm surprised it took them this long. People do NOT want the Metro interface on laptops/desktops but Microsoft refuses to listen. Even in Desktop mode, Windows 8 has some annoyances. Windows 7, by far, the best OS from Microsoft since Windows XP SP3. Nice to see PC makers pushing back – hopefully Microsoft allows Windows 7 licenses to be sold until Windows 9 comes out and proves itself.

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In a blog post today HP explains its decision to bring back the ever-popular Windows 7 operating system. It even makes a point to mention that it offers Android now too, so it's trying to give the people what they want, whatever that may be. http://www.maximumpc.com/hp_explains_decision_bring_back_windows_7_pcs2014

THIS should be fun – be ready for lots of alerts for updates to Windows, Java, and Adobe Flash/Reader/AIR and friends

Patch Tuesday – get ready for the January 2014 Security Trifecta!
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Get ready for Patch Threesday!

Nice to see companies still trying to innovate in the PC market. Could this be the future of computing for a family's main desktop (which we all have – laptops and tablets sometimes just aren't cut out for what we need to do)

Razer's Modular Desktop Makes Building a PC Like Playing with Legos
gizmo.do
Building your own computer is generally reserved for the hardcore, the devoted, the geeky. But with Razer's Project Christine, it's as easy as playing with Legos. Really big, actively mineral cooled Legos. Also it looks like a badass rack of rockets or something, which is cool as shit.

Let's face it – kids have more and more devices that are connected online these days. It's hard enough to ensure they're staying safe and only going where they should. But we've all been there. It's time to go to sleep, the house is quiet, but your router lights are flashing like crazy. Welcome to the YouTube & Netflix generation.

Want an easy way to stop kids from staying up until 2AM? Besides opening their doors every night to check (and hey – who wants to get our of a warm bed at 2AM?), there are other ways that aren't too hard to setup.

Most home routers (and many provided by your ISP if you only use that) have the ability to set 'Access Restrictions' which can limit when and/or where your children go. This article lays out the basics for Linksys routers, but MANY routers use the same underlying operating system so the screens will be very similar. The trick is identifying the MAC address (its like a unique network serial number) and/or IP address of your kid's devices. You can often see this in your Router 'Status' screen under LAN. It'll show connected devices and often a name. If not, many devices will show their MAC address on a sticker on the bottom/back or in your Network Settings screen (Google your device for exact instructions)

Then you can create whatever you like. For my router? There is a 'Homework' policy that limits access to sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, NetFlix, game sites, etc. during the hours between school and dinner. That way they can still access educational sites, search engines, etc. Then there is the 'Bedtime' filter that blocks ALL access after, say, 10:00 until 11:59 (many routers can't do time blocks from one day to another – so create two policies for each side of midnight, or just figure once the devices stop working at 10:30, they won't try at 1AM.)

This doesn't replace careful monitoring, but it sure can help you keep warm at night and not feel like you have to peek in every night at 2AM.

Not sure you can set something like this up? We can help! Just bring your router by to IT Xpress and we'll configure it however you like!. For our My ITXpert customers, we can often help you do this for free without bringing your router in (http://myitxpert.biz/)

Setting up Access Restrictions on a Linksys router
kb.linksys.com

There's something sort of nostalgic creating a floppy boot disk on Windows 8.1!

Some excellent advice to help lock down your Facebook settings and increase your privacy (well when it comes to normal people. Not the NSA 🙂 )

How to Lockdown Your Facebook Account For Maximum Privacy and Security
facecrooks.com
Recent studies show that privacy concerns are very much on the minds of Facebook users. Part of being a responsible member of any online community is educating yourself and your loved ones on how to properly configure the privacy and security settings offered by the platform. The fact that Facebook…

This is why when a store clerk tells you AMD is faster than Intel or vice versa when you're buying a computer – they're simply sharing their personal preference. Why? Because the computers you're looking at cost less than the fastest processors available (mainly made by Intel). When it comes to consumer processors, the brand is MUCH less important than the type, speed, and amount of cache. If you stick with the 'i' series from Intel (i3/i5/i7) or A Series from AMD (A4/A6/A8/A10) for the average desktop or laptop you're doing fine. Roughly the higher you go on each scale the better. Unless you have a tech friend who can give you specifics about the processor in a model you are looking at vs others – the higher you can get on a scale dollar for dollar, the better deal you're getting (say $500 for an A10 laptop vs an i5 laptop, etc) It's rough and not perfect – but a decent rule of thumb. Unless you use your laptop on battery a lot. Right now Intel IS better in that regard with their 'Haswell' processors. But most people stay plugged in most of the time and if so it's less of an issue.

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The third quarter of 2014 will be an excellent time to upgrade, as Intel is readying an 8-core Haswell-E platform with hyperthreading and DDR4 memory. The bad news is these chips will probably cost $1,000, so start filling up your piggy bank now. http://www.maximumpc.com/intel_release_8-core_haswell-e_desktop_processors_third_quarter_2014

Merry Christmas to all our clients, friends, and their families! We look forward to helping you all with any new technology you may have received this holiday season! We'll be closed Dec 25th and 26th, but will be back at the shop at 9AM Dec 27th.

Yet another reason to utilize Chrome. It's harder for companies to sneak toolbars into it (though a couple have figured out ways). But Google is actively fighting them (there is NO useful toolbar – they simply exist to sell your info to advertisers). Steps like these show how seriously they are taking it….

Google tightens Chrome Web Store rules to prevent toolbar overload
www.engadget.com
Many web veterans can share horror stories of friends and family who installed a few too many browser toolbars, some of them by accident. Google is

What if you could drastically improve the speed of your computer vs replacing it (and dealing with Windows 8)? If your computer is 4 years old or less, this upgrade may be just what you need for your desktop or laptop!

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What if your PC could boot in under a minute thanks to a straightforward upgrade? Seagate's 'hybrid' hard drives combine the lightning fast speed of a 'Solid State Drive' with the storage capacity of a normal hard drive. A recent customer saw their boot time drop from 3 minutes to 45 seconds!!! Applications start MUCH faster. And unlike solid state drives, which require Windows 7 or higher, these hybrid drives work with ANY operating system, even Windows XP! IT Xpress can do this upgrade for you, often the same day! Drop your system off before 10AM and we'll usually have the upgrade complete by 4PM! (Call first to check on drive availability). This is not a 'reinstall'. Your programs, settings, and data stay the same!

See the difference an SSHD can make for your computer! SSHD Upgrades cost $99 plus the cost of the drive. At current prices:

Laptops: 500GB – $198, 1TB – $248 (plus tax)
Desktops: 1TB – $224, 2TB – $278 (plus tax)

Actual prices may vary as drive prices do.

Like if you wish your computer booted in under a minute and share with your friends!

Always great advice, even if it means the shrink wrap comes off (the kids won't care). Update servers get HAMMERED Christmas Day. So make sure you're all up to date beforehand! Unsure of how to setup that new gadget you are giving (or receiving!) for Christmas? We can help!

Important PSA: Update Gadget Gifts Before You Wrap Them
gizmodo.com
So you pulled out the big guns and you got your son (age 27 or otherwise) a console. You're justifiably excited about the Christmas morning surprise, but there's one thing you must absolutely remember to take care of before you wrap that gadget gift: Day one updates. Trust us.

Some good tips this holiday season!

Five minute fix: Keeping your kids safe online with parental controls
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
We've compiled easy-to-follow instructions for setting up the parental control features on Windows 7 and 8, OS X, iOS and Android, so you can increase your kids' chances of staying safe and emotion…

If you use a laptop mostly for email and the Internet, you should really look into a Chromebook. Easy to use. Inexpensive. And much less susceptible to virus infections. If you already use Google Chrome you will feel right at home!

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Dell has joined the Chromebook fray – guess they aren't too concerned about getting Scroogled. Would you ever buy a Dell Chromebook? http://www.maximumpc.com/dell_unaffected_scroogled_campaign_joins_chromebook_movement2013

If you're having trouble accessing your Yahoo account or if you had a free small business website and it suddenly disappeared – here's why!

Trouble At Yahoo: Partial Webmail Outage Hits Day Two, Surprise Small Business Websites Shutdowns An
techcrunch.com
Normally a report of a web services outage goes like this: web service goes down, reporter writes post, hits publish, web service comes right back up. But..