Cate's final column

Wrapping things up. Preparing for a new beginning.

We did it!

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me (or anyone!) in the Ride Don’t Hide event June 24.

It was a great day for a bike ride, and over 400 riders participated in the event. The Kelowna ride raised $85,000. Together we contributed almost $1,000 to that. I am so grateful to each of you for your support. Thank you!

I retired from the computer business…

 I retired from the business of fixing computers, printers, and local networks on Friday. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you. I’m proud of the work I’ve done, and I will miss visiting you!

…But I’m still going to write this column and newsletter.

I’m going to continue writing about computers, and I’m going to expand the scope of that writing to include more about tablets, phones, and other technology-related topics. It’s really hard to shut me up, as you might have noticed.

The column will run monthly, rather than weekly, on Castanet, and if you already subscribe to my (free! Always free!) newsletter, you’ll receive information there about where and when you can read the new column.

If you don’t subscribe, watch Castanet for news about when the column will run. It’s up to the columnist wrangler at Castanet to find a spot.

Finally…

Practise safe computing!

• Backup your stuff, keep your critical programs up to date, and write down your passwords. And what they’re for: http://computercarekelowna.com/no-new-years-resolutions/. Currently I like the Western Digital My Passport external hard drive for backups. The drive includes excellent software. Be sure to install the software. Just plugging in the drive doesn’t do anything.
• Be smart when you get ready for that new version of Windows 10: http://computercarekelowna.com/smart-upgrades-part-1/, http://computercarekelowna.com/smart-upgrades-part-2/
• Install, configure, run and update a decent antivirus/antimalware program. My current recommendations are:
• Bitdefender Free (if you must use a free program): https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html
• Malwarebytes Premium (if you want excellent protection at an affordable price): https://www.malwarebytes.com/premium/

Do not randomly click on things that sound like a good idea. That is always a bad idea. And do not fall for the fake technician scam. Yep, it’s still here and it’s worse than ever: http://computercarekelowna.com/fake-tech-support/

Use VirusTotal to check your downloads before you download! Use your excellent antivirus/antimalware product to check your downloads after you download.

Thank you all again. I’ll see you soon!

Cate Eales retired June 29  from running Computer Care Kelowna a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. She welcomes your comments and suggestions for future column topics, good fishing spots, epic bike rides, and songs to learn on the ukulele.

Send email to [email protected].

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.