They say you never forget your first… 🎞️ Tandy/RadioShack TRS-80 | 1982. That was the first time I sat down in front of a computer! ⌨️
P.S. Did you know? 💾 The original TRS-80 was nicknamed the “Trash-80” because it caused so much radio interference. If you put an AM radio next to it while a game was loading, you could actually hear the data “singing” through the speakers! 📻🎶
Fast forward to today, and while the tech has changed, the passion for solving problems hasn’t. Whether you’re still rocking a classic or need a 2026 high-speed workstation, for the most experienced Newtown computer services, we’ve got you covered.
What was your “Model 1” moment? Drop your first computer in the comments! 👇
Get in touch: ☎️ Call: 01686 610 106 📱 Text: 0783 222 7823 📍 Visit us: Frolic House, Newtown (Right between the Medical Practice & Driving Test Centre)
If you want to tighten up your parents’ home cybersecurity as much as possible, you’ve come to the right place. After all, you’re no doubt the family IT person, and first point of contact if trouble arises.
Consider a Chromebook. If someone is looking for a new computer system for regular, non-demanding purposes, such as browsing, social media, and email, you can help with recommendations. For such a person, who isn’t invested in heavy gaming, a Chromebook would be a good option, as it will save them some money and can perform all those functions, plus allows them to play browser-based games if needed.
Turn on auto-update. Installing software on a system usually comes with the task of having to keep it up-to-date. Therefore, any software program, operating system or browser that has an option to auto-update should be set to do this. We know this isn’t always recommended in a work environment, but for the computer illiterate person in their own home, it’s perfect. One less thing to worry about.
Configure their security software. In addition, selecting security software that allows users to minimize notifications to only dire warnings will keep users from getting confused. Notifications coming from programs can have strange effects on the less computer savvy for several reasons:
They don’t understand to which program the messages belong, which takes away the context for them
The text in the notifications is designed to be short, which means they’re not always maximized for clarity
Technical terms used in the notification may be unfamiliar
When there are too many notifications, people can get fatigued. Most will simply want the pop-ups to disappear, no matter what they have to click on to accomplish this. So, any software that can be set to only issue a warning when something is really amiss deserves a big plus.
Disable Remote Desktop. If you’re dealing with a Windows computer, disable Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop is sometimes used by scammers in things like technical support scams, so if you don’t need it you may as well turn it off. You can do this in Settings. Here’s how to do it in Windows 10:
Launch the Settings app. (shortcut Win + I)
Under the System section, scroll down and click on the Remote Desktop option.
Then, click on the toggle next to the Remote Desktop option to turn it off.
Windows will prompt you to confirm your decision.
Click on the Disable button and exit the settings app.
Use an easy to maintain blocklist or firewall. This can keep a lot of harm at bay. Alternatively, make use of security software that includes a web protection module. (We use Malwarebytes)
Configure the router/modem accordingly. Make sure to configure the home router and access points with unique usernames and passwords and do not use the default ones that come with the equipment. Many botnets will attempt to take over such devices by trying default credentials.
There are some other basic settings that can enhance the security of the home router without hindering the users:
Turn off remote management if enabled.
Use WPA2 or WPA3 (if available) encryption on Wireless routers.
Hang up, close the tab, and call your bank. A Dutch bank ran a very effective campaign that advised customers to “Hang up, close the tab, and call your bank.” This is very easy to remember and very effective at the same time. Tell your parents to remember that phrase when they see “urgent” warnings online or get cold calls from Microsoft, their bank, or any other entity that seeks access to personal or financial information. It’s good to teach your parents they shouldn’t trust that friendly voice with a concerned tone, if they can’t verify their identity. The same is true for text and chat messages. Even if the sender claims to be you on your new phone.
What, you didn’t know it was World Backup Day? Hmmm, perhaps that’s not a surprise. If there was an award for “most overlooked really important thing in computing”, backups would win. Every year. To get you off on the right foot we’ve got three tips to help you backup your devices. • Make backups – Yes, our first tip really is “make backups”. Why? Because backups are the dental floss of cybersecurity—the thing that everyone knows they should do, that everyone intends to do, that nobody actually does. • Make them automatic – Once you decide that you’re going to make regular copies of your data you are, in all likelihood, going to get bored of doing it and slip up on your rigorous, well-intentioned schedule. Humans just aren’t good at doing the same thing, the same way, every day. But you know what is? A computer. • Make sure they work – If you’ve followed tip two and automated your backups then you can sit back and relax right? Sure, you can. But if you want to know for sure that your backup solution will be there for when you need it most, you need to test it.
Here’s some of the best virus & malware removal tools, And they are all FREE!
Norton Power EraserLINK Yes, I’m not the biggest fan of Norton. But this should be your first line of attack if you think your system may be infected.
Kaspersky KVRTLINK Next up would be this Kaspersky tool. Though the company may be under a bit of scrutiny, KVRT is a mighty killer of nasties!
Hitman ProLINK The third line of attack would be Hitman Pro. Owned by the makers of “Sophos” AV.
(You have to fill out a little reg’ form to access this download, but you don’t have to be too honest!)
Adware CleanerLINK After Hitman, run this little bit of magic to help cleanse anything that may still be hiding.
MalwarebytesLINK Once all the other scans have completed, Install Malwarebytes as a “Trial” version to give your system one last scan.
One of the best places that I know for Virus Removal tutorials etc is “Bleeping Computer” Click on the link link to take you there: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/
If after running that little lot you still feel uneasy, give us a shout.
Did you know that you may be eligible for a discounted broadband service?
If you are in receipt of certain benefit’s (like Universal Credit and Pension Credit), you may qualify for a substantial discount on your internet connection.
Here’s a link to a very good article by Which? that could help you save a lot of money!
The article has a list of all the suppliers that offer a “Social Tariff”, but even if your supplier is not listed or you are a different benefit to those shown, It’s worth giving your provider a call to ask what help may be available during this cost of living crisis.
They have finished the upgrade to Full Fibre here on Frolic Street in Newtown, so I’ve booked Bluesdigital in for a major speed increase.
Next month will see a big jump from our already reasonable 80Mb internet connection to just over 1Gbps. This will allow us to work faster & help us to develop even more services to assist our clients.
Zoom, Zoom!
BTW, we’ve been using TalkTalk Business for our connection for over 10 Years, and have always rec’d great customer service. If you may be interested in changing over to them, click on the following link, and we could both get up to £200 of Amazon vouchers!
If like me, you find Microsoft’s latest & Greatest Operating System, Windows 11, a little bit bloaty & nosey, You should try using Debloos! (LINK)
It’s a great little tool to help you quickly & safely remove some of the “Bloatware” & Pseudo Spyware that is packaged in Windows 11.
I would always advise you to do a back-up of your important files before using ANY tweaking tool, just in case!
If you fancy trying out a “Clean Install” of your Operating System, and you want to make a better USB Bootable installer than what you get with Microsoft’s own “Media Creation Tool”, you should give “RUFUS” a try. (LINK)
Among many of it’s very useful features, it will allow you to download the required operating system ISO’s safely. Furthermore, you can remove those pesky requirements for 4+GB RAM and Secure Boot. TPM 2.0 & the need for a Microsoft account, just to install Windows!
For more computer services, pop in to see us at Frolic House ( between Newtown Medical Practice and Driving Test Centre ) | Call 01686 610 106 | Message 0783 222 7823
First job on the card today is some really pretty Wedding ‘Order of Service’ Cards. The Client did a great job designing it in Canva, so it was straightforward to complete quickly and efficiently, as always.
Windows 11 Upgrade Problems
Then it was time to delve into it, sickly Acer 💻 that’s refusing to boot up. This turned out to be an incompatibility with the Windows 11 upgrade. One nice, clean Windows 10 later, and it’s back with the client.
Cloning of a Client’s PC onto a Larger SSD
Next up, it’s time to clone a client’s pc onto a larger SSD. After some initial grumpiness from the original Windows installation, everything went reasonably smoothly, Phew!
Strip Down & Rebuild of a WordPress site
Last job, for this productive day, time to strip down & rebuild a WordPress site. They have been having problems with the plug-ins used to build the original site, so I advised a fresh start by removing pretty much all of the software and setting it up from scratch.
