Brooks-Jeffrey Computer Store E-Newsletter
August 28, 2008

• See You at the Fair
• Congratulations, Amber!
• Meet Chris Francis, BJCS Commercial Specialist
• BJCS Remote Services
• Refer a Friend and Save
• Virus Alert

See You at Baxter County Fair September 9-13
Stop by our fair booth to register for free door prizes (t-shirts, caps, mugs and more) along with free calendars, emery boards (useful for all of us typists out here) and a quick game of "Chicken Hunter."

See you at the fair!

Back to Top

Congratulations Amber!
A hearty welcome and congratulations to BJCS Customer Service Specialist Amber Hallmark and her husband, Rodney, on the arrival of their new baby girl, Cheyenne. Cheyenne is a beautiful, healthy baby girl with a proud older sister. Congratulations and welcome back, Amber... we missed you!

Back to Top

Introducing BJCS Commercial Specialist,
Chris Francis
Chris Francis is one of those rare guys who can communicate well with people and machines.

Chris, a Stanford graduate with over ten years of computer programming experience is articulate, knowledgeable and an all around good guy. Chris is great at creating affordable, lasting solutions for our commercial customers.

Call on Chris at 800-506-8064 or 870-425-8064 for all your commercial computer needs including hardware, software and service.

Back to Top

Save Money, Time and Fuel with BJCS Worldwide Remote Services
BJCS technicians may be able to repair your computer without touching it! In many cases, our professional computer repair and maintenance services can be administered remotely via an Internet connection.

Remote service saves you time and money AND - because it eliminates the need to travel - it's a green solution for us all!

Here's how it works:

If you're having issues with your computer but you can still connect to the Internet, this solution may work for you.

To determine if this service is right for your situation, call BJCS at 800-506-8064 or 425-8064. We'll ask you to visit a specific web address to run the client software (we'll walk you through this process over the phone). The software will generate a session password. By giving us the session password, you authorize us to access your system via an Internet connection. This authorization will be valid for one session only. We must repeat this process for each session you request.

Your system must be able to connect to the Internet.

More info about this service:

• It is a temporary session that you initiate. No one can log in unless you provide them with the session password.

• Passwords are not saved - each session requires a new one.

• No registration, no login, just download and start. No personal information has to be entered for the session to begin.

• No IP addresses are needed. The remote user never sees your IP address, therefore cannot access your computer after the session has ended.

• This service can be applied to systems anywhere in the world (with Internet access).

Please give us a call if you're interested in more details about this high-tech service.

Back to Top

Refer a Friend to Our Store and Save!
We appreciate your referrals, and now we have a great program that allows us to show our appreciation.

Each time we receive a new referred customer from you, we'll post a service credit on your account.

When you refer someone to our store, please ask them to mention your name. If you wish, stop by the store and pick up some referral cards to distribute to your friends, family members and perfect strangers!

It's an easy way to earn free service from our store.

Thank you for your continued patronage and your referrals.

Back to Top

Virus Alert
We can't say it often enough... if you aren't certain of the source, don't download the file, don't click on the message.

Within the last few weeks, we've cleaned a number of virus-laden systems because the users presumed that a message warning of the need to update their anti-virus software was legitimate. The message was bogus - when clicked on, a virus infected the system.

These customers have experienced trojan infections related to the Antivirus 2008 trojan family. These trojan infections have the ability to infect the system file winlogon.exe to execute downloads of rogue anti-spyware programs onto the computer. Winlogon.exe is a crucial file for Windows’ operation, so once it’s infected, it makes an automated removal process with a real anti-spyware program extremely difficult, to say the least.

Unfortunately, some of our customers who tried to use patches or fixes found on the Web caused more damage to their system before they brought it in to our store.

If you suspect that you have downloaded this file, please call to discuss the symptoms with one of our experienced staff members.

Symptoms of this infection may include:

• Pop-ups of random rogue anti-spyware programs like Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Antivirus XP 2009, XP Antivirus Protection, Spy-Shredder, WinSpywareProtect, and others. These programs display a false virus scan result to make you believe that your computer is infected with viruses.
• “VIRUS ALERT!” appears in the system tray (lower right hand corner of your desktop).
• Changes your desktop background to a red hazard alert or a blue background with a yellow alert in the center.
• Screensaver changes to either the "Blue Screen of Death" or the "Bugs" crawling on the screen.
• Start Menu does not list Programs, My Documents, My Computer, My Recent Documents, Search, Help, Control Panel or Run.
• Windows Explorer closes by itself or displays an “Illegal Operation of System” page.
• Computer performs sluggishly or ultimately crashes.

These rogue anti-spyware programs prompt the user to purchase or renew the Antivirus 2008 program to fix the problem. If this does occur, do not enter any bank or credit card information. Some customers have experienced fraudulent charges after purchasing the Antivirus 2008 program.

Brooks-Jeffrey Computer Store's certified technicians are ready to repair damage resulting from the Antivirus 2008 trojan. Some variations of the trojan infection demand a complicated removal process which involves several layers of removal and a lot of patience. If you need help, call BJCS at 800-506-8064 or 870-425-8064.

Two of our customers share their stories here:

• Don H. of Mountain Home - "I downloaded and installed
  Antivirus XP 2008 from a pop-up window using my bank card. BJCS informed me that this was not legitimate anti-virus software and that I needed to contact my bank to put a hold on any transactions related to this. Brooks-Jeffrey Computer Store was quick to act and very helpful in solving this problem for me."
  
  
• Local Business Owner - "We encountered a window alerting us that our computer was infected. The window appeared to be a legitimate warning from Windows, so we followed the link and purchased the suggested anti-virus software. We later found out that the alert had been produced by a virus and that we had been directed to a fraudulent website, which resulted in multiple out-of-country charges to our credit card. We then contacted Brooks-Jeffrey Computer Store. The BJCS technician was familiar with the virus and was able to remove it for us."

We, at BJCS, say it so often that many of you are tired of hearing it, but here goes again - if in doubt, don't! Don't click on it, don't download it unless you know the sender and/or are expecting an executable file from the sender.

Make sure your anti-virus software is set to scan ALL files incoming and outgoing. In addition, live updates for anti-virus and Windows should be turned on for best results and protection. Make a note when your anti-virus software is up for renewal, so if you receive a bogus renewal notice, you'll know to question its validity.

Back to Top

Please call us when we can be of service. We appreciate your business!