 Claygate Computers is proud to become TipTop Computers!
Claygate Computers has been growing successfully over the past 4 years and covers an ever-widening area.
The new name of the company reflects our well established reputation for tip top service. Also, whilst our customers in Claygate are still so very important to us, our new TipTop name shows to all of our customers in Elmbridge that our service is available throughout all of the borough…and even beyond! (Click here to see the areas we cover).
TipTop Computers is continually expanding, creating employment for technically qualified local people, notwithstanding the Country’s economic recession.
We have expanded, and developed additional computer services, including website design, individual tuition, corporate and public training courses, equipment resourcing and dedicated support for small businesses. Over 50% of our new business comes from the recommendation of our existing customers.
Just to be clear, we are the same company! We're the same people, offering the same high level of service from the same premises at the same fantastic prices. All that's changed is the name!
 Dropbox – This is simply BRILLIANT
Dropbox is a program that automatically synchronises your files and folders across multiple computers using the internet.
Perhaps you have a PC and a laptop and you'd like to be able to access your documents from each without having to manually copy files between the two using a USB stick. Well, Dropbox solves the problem, and it does it simply and inexpensively.
So, how does it work? First you go to www.getdropbox.com and sign up for a Dropbox account with some online storage space (2GB is free). Next, a folder is created on your PC called 'My Dropbox'. Anything you put in here will synch to your online storage space, or 'cloud' as it's known. Finally, you create additional 'My Dropbox' folders on your other computers.
Anything you add, edit or delete from your Dropbox on any of your computers updates your cloud, which in turn updates your other computers, keeping everything in synch. It's so simple one wonders why it took someone so long to come up with it! There are plenty of other companies which offer online storage, but what makes this so useful is that once it's set up, you don't need to manually upload anything; it does it all for you. If your internet goes down or you're temporarily using your laptop without internet access, you can still access your local Dropbox, and any changes that are made will be synched to your cloud next time you're online.
In addition, you can access your files from anywhere using a web browser to log into your Dropbox account, and you can choose to share certain folders within your Dropbox cloud with other Dropbox users (eg. you could share your 'photos' folder with a family member). Like a mobile phone or broadband, this is one of those great things which, once you've had it, you can't imagine how you ever coped without it!
If you'd like for us to set up and install your Dropbox for you, please contact TipTop Computers on 01372 46 4321.
 Bing - Microsoft's re-branded search engine
Microsoft has replaced it's search engine, 'Live Search', with 'Bing'. It has a new look and feel, a few new features and in my view is certainly an improvement. Try it for yourself: www.bing.com
 iPhone 3.0 Software update is out
Free for the iPhone, or £5.99 for the iTouch. Apple's iPhone 3.0 Software Update include numerous updates. New features include the following (some are only available on the iPhone):
- Cut, copy and paste
- Spotlight search (enabling you to search your whole device from one place)
- Landscape keyboard (for mail, notes and safari)
- Parental controls
- Send MMS messages (eg. send photos via text message)
- Voice memos
- Internet tethering (ie. use your iPhone as a modem to connect your laptop to the internet). Additional costs apply - click here for 02's iPhone internet tethering prices.
For the full list of updates, click here. To update your iPhone or iTouch, just connect it to your computer, open iTunes (version 8.2 required) and click on 'Check for Update'. If you're not confident to do this yourself, we can do it for you.
Firefox 3.5 update is released
Performance boosts, improved features and new features. Click here for details. Click here to download it.
 Be careful, be very careful
There are a great many malware programs around at the moment which trick you into believing they're actually there to help you, when they're not. They look very convincing, and often use graphics stolen from well known legitimate companies such as Microsoft or AVG to strengthen the illusion and to gain the victim's trust. They call themselves such names as "Windows Antivirus 2008", "Internet Antivirus Pro", "Antivirus 360", and "XP Police".
These programs typically tell you that your computers is full of viruses, and then tell you to activate the software in order for it to remove the threats (which it won't). Of course, in order to activate the software, you must pay for it, and there's the motive for the malware creators.
If you suspect that your computer has become infected with such a program, it is advisable that you disconnect your computer from the internet (or turn it off), and contact us for removal.
 Fake emails
We would ask that you are especially careful when you check your emails, as we have seen an increase in emails which pretend to be from someone they're not. They tend to ask you to click on a link in order to check or correct some sort of login or bank details, or they might ask that you fill out the 'attached' form. The attachment, of course' is likely to contain a virus or malware of some sort. They may tell you that you are due a tax refund or something similar, and if you do happen to click on the link the website you are directed to might look exactly the same as the one you'd expect! Don't trust it!
Always err on the side of caution. If you think it's from your bank, open up your web browser and go directly to your bank's website, or better still, call them and ask! If you're in any doubt, you can always forward the email (info@tiptopcomputers.co.uk) to us to check it for you. |
