network

Fri
28
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

8 Ways to Protect Your Backups from Ransomware

Infopackets Reader Bob S. writes: " Dear Dennis, ... [I run an accounting firm and was recently hit with a ransomware attack which encrypted over 70,000 of my files . I nearly lost everything, though I was finally able to overcome this and recover ... my data through your help] ... What I need is a comprehensive backup solution that will allow me to automate my backups - which means having the backup drive attached to my system 24/7 - yet, the backup drive must be protected such that ransomware cannot spread to the drive and encrypt my backup data. If that were to happen, my backups would be ... (view more)

Mon
17
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Explained: Is Ransomware a Real Threat? Should I worry?

Infopackets Reader Tina A. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been reading articles on the Internet about cyber criminals breaking into computer networks, encrypting files and then demanding a ransom. I've also read that if I leave my computer connected to ... the Internet, I could be susceptible to ransomware. I don't know what to believe. So my question is: is ransomware a threat? Is ransomware malware? Should I be worried? " My response: This is a pretty big question to answer. The simple answer is that: yes , ransomware is a threat, and yes you can get infected with ransomware just by having your ... (view more)

Mon
27
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Explained: Difference Between VPN Server and VPN (Service)

Infopackets Reader Kathy S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been researching the difference between a VPN server and a VPN , and I am super confused. I read your article entitled ' Do I need a VPN? Are VPNs Safe for Online Banking? ' and that has ... helped a bit, but I was wondering if you could explain which one would be cheaper for me in the long run? It is cheaper to have my own VPN server or should I pay for a VPN service? " My response: A VPN server and VPN (service) operate very similar because they use the exact same technology - however, using a VPN server vs a VPN (service) are two ... (view more)

Fri
13
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Computer Name Won't Resolve on Network (April Update)

Infopackets Reader Steve J. writes: " Dear Dennis, Last week two of my systems (one a PC, the other a laptop) upgraded to Windows 10 version 1803, otherwise known as the 'April Creators Update' version of Windows 10. Ever since then, I can't access ... my laptop from my PC, though my PC can see the laptop. If I try and access either one directly, Windows 10 says it can't find the computer. Also my remote desktop protocol (RDP) no longer works. Researching ' network unc path april creators update broken ' in Google reveals that this is an incredibly widespread issue. Can you please help? " My ... (view more)

Mon
18
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Prevent Ransomware in 2018 - 10 Steps

Infopackets Reader Steve G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just read your article on How to Fix: Computer / Network Infected with Ransomware (10 Steps) and it was incredibly informative. I hope I never get infected with ransomware! That said, I have seen ... software products and services advertised online claiming they can prevent ransomware, but the information is often obscure. I feel like I am none the wiser. Even searching Google for ' how to prevent ransomware ' points to a very short article on Norton's website, which then links to Norton Antivirus. In your previous article, you said Norton didn ... (view more)

Mon
11
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Computer / Network Infected with Ransomware (10 Steps)

Infopackets Reader Robert S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a network of computers I use for accounting purposes. Suddenly, many of my desktop icons started appearing to have strange names, such as ... '1HjgN1BdTZE3OIqorcj2E5b6CXIE=gdFae89IWgo0RrVfPbCHt851oogccs.ssimpotashka[at]gmail.com'. When I try to open these files, Windows warns me the file may be malicious. When I look in my Documents folder, I see more files similarly named to the one I just mentioned. Some of my .PDF files won't even open. On the desktop there is a text document that says ' HOW TO DECRYPT YOUR FILES.TXT ' - when I open ... (view more)

Mon
12
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: OpenVPN Remote Desktop Not Working (Suddenly)

Infopackets Reader Paul P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been using OpenVPN, coupled with Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect my laptop to my home PC when I'm on the road. It's worked great for a while now, however, suddenly remote ... desktop has stopped working and I can't connect to my PC anymore. The strange thing is that OpenVPN seems to complete the connection, so I am not sure why my RDP won't work any more. Can you help? " My response: I asked Paul if he would like me to connect to his laptop using my remote desktop service in order to investigate the problem further, and ... (view more)

Fri
19
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: 'This site can't be reached. The connection was reset.' Error

Infopackets Reader 'Emmy-Lou' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am having trouble accessing eBay. The error message I get is: 'This site can't be reached. The connection was reset.' Other times, it is 'This site can't be reached. eBay unexpectedly closed the ... connection'. On the page with the error message, it says to: 'Try: Checking the connection, checking the proxy and the firewall, and Running Windows Network Diagnostics'. The official error message is ERR_CONNECTION_RESET (but sometimes it is ERR_CONNECTION_CLOSED ). Can you help? " My response: Troubleshooting this error message can be rather ... (view more)

Mon
02
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: VM Can't Connect to Windows Server (No Trust Relationship)

Infopackets Reader Jeff L. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a Windows 7 machine I'm trying to virtualize, which is connected to a Windows Server 2012 network. The issue I'm having is that the newly created virtual machine works fine after it's been ... virtualized but later it won't work. Whenever I try and login to the network, I receive an error message ' The security database on the server does not have a computer account for this workstation trust relationship. ' I am using VMWare Workstation as the hypervisor. I have tried everything I can think of to fix this but there is absolutely no way for ... (view more)

Fri
21
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Windows 10 Disable Password Expiration

Infopackets Reader Sean S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I own three Windows 10 PC's at home - my own PC, my wife's laptop and my son's laptop. Each laptop is set up to access my main PC using network shared folders (I have the same user names and ... passwords also set up on my main machine to create a password protected share). Recently my wife tried to access a shared folder on my PC but now receives an error 'the password of this user has expired'. The same day I also received an error message on my Windows 10 login screen that 'the password for this account has expired' and I need to reset it. Is ... (view more)

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