Help Section

We wanted to offer some advice on two subjects that are near and dear to our hearts:  computers and bears!

We offer advice on bears for those of us visiting the area, or other areas where bear. Many people who come and stay on the mountain think that it is just adding to the authenticity when they see signs that warn about locking dumpsters and not putting food or trash outside.  Unfortunately, it's very important for people to do so!  We have seen from first hand experience exactly how damaging it can be to a bear to have access to human food.

Once a bear starts eating out of dumpsters, it won't stop coming back.  Why would it?  If you were a bear would you rather forage through the woods looking for berries and anything worth eating, or would you rather go to the 'drive-throughs' and eat all the food people have unwisely left unsecured?  Time and time again we have seen bears who have gotten a taste for Haagen-Daaz and pinot noir and won't stop coming back!  Worse, a bear in this state who finds the dumpsters empty is that much more likely to get into someone's house!  Yes, it does happen and when it does there is often no choice but to trap the bear in a big steel cage.  This sad state of events CAN BE PREVENTED by just latching the dumpster after you put your trash in it, and keeping food away from bears!


Computer Advice

Let's say something has just gone wrong with your computer.  It was working fine yesterday, but now this or that has stopped or nearly stopped working.  What's the first thing you should do?  Download a program from the internet that promises to fix your computer with one click?  Probably not.  The first thing you should do is ask yourself (or whoever else might have used the computer) the following question:

What's the Last Thing You Did Before the Computer Stopped Working Correctly?

The first thing a lot of people say when asked this question is 'I didn't do anything!  It just stopped working right!' and some of the time this is true.  However, from what we've seen, an awful lot of the time people will remember 'Oh, that's right.. I tried this new program the other day.  The last thing I did before the computer started acting up was installed a program I downloaded off of the internet.'  Remember, a program does not have to be a virus or intentionally written to do your computer harm.  Very often a badly written program, or a program that conflicts with programs you already have, or even just one more program running on an already overloaded system is all it takes to make a computer go from 'go' to 'no go'.

Yes, you should always scan a program you've just downloaded before you run or install it (ex. Windows you can often right-click on the program and choose Scan for Viruses, depending on what AV (Anti-Virus) software you have installed, but just becuase a program doesn't have a virus doesn't mean your computer is going to like it.  If there are reviews available from other users of the software, take a look at them and see what their experience has been.  Read very carefully all the things you are agreeing to as you are installing a program!  Very often free programs aren't so free.... they contain add-on software like toolbars or they slow your internet connection down by calling home all the time on your dime (using your bandwidth to constantly update or send marketing data back home).  Also, some states like Virginia have End User License Agreements (EULAs) that can be altered after you agree to them.  So you should check with a reputable website or publication periodically to find out what people are saying about your software.  You wouldn't feed your dog food that could make her sick, so why would you feed your computer bytes of bad software?

If you realize this is the case (a new program may to blame) then the first thing you might want to do is either uninstall that particular program, or Restore your computer to a point right before you put the software in question in.  Whoops!  You say you didn't make a restore point before you installed that new software you got for free off of the internet?  Bad idea.  Before installing ANY software on a computer that is running well, you should ALWAYS make sure you have a backup or restore point in case something goes wrong.

Another thing that causes a ton of computers to misbehave is simply not having the right protection software on it.  Yes, you do need some kind of protection software.  If you hook up a Windows PC to the internet with no firewall (even the firewall included in Windows is better than not using anyting!), no antivirus, and no anti-malware (spyware and adware blockers)  it is literally a matter of seconds before that computer has been compromised. Make absolutely sure that you are checking your email for viruses as well. 

Why do people spread viruses and hack computers?  There are a whole lot of reasons, from doing it by accident (remember the I Love You virus?) to people specifically focusing on your, personal, computer in order to steal your identity and steal what you have.  There are also people who would like to use your computer, along with dozens or hundreds of other people's so that they have more computing power.  This is called zombying and one of many types of attacks your home and portable computers might be subject to.  Remember, if your family is even making $30,000 a year, that puts you in the top 1% of the whole world's income!  You are already a target, people have already tried to get your credit card information from rour financial network, and it's because only a whole lot of people are out there trying to protect our networks that everyone's debit, check or credit card keep working.  

The best thing to do is to make sure you have the right software to protect yourself and your family.  There are good, quality products out there that are 100% free, but as a rule we have found they are not as easy to use and 'painless' as the paid programs from companies like Norton, McAfee, Lavasoft, Kaspersky, Microsoft, and Zone Alarm.  Free software includes Avast, Ashampoo, and others.  We recommend download.com (part of cnet) but remind you to read reviews and the information provided by cnet so that you understand what you are getting.  Also, software that isn't running can't help you.  If you disable defensive software, or ignore warnings that it has expired or is not running, then you are good as walking down Mugger's Alley with hundred dollar bills falling out of your pockets.

Yes!  It's OK to ask for help from professionals!  Companies like Microsoft and Computer Geeks can help fix your computer in a lot less time than you may be able to do it yourself.  Also, they are great at being able to fix anyone's computer, as opposed to many well-intentioned people who may know how to make their own computers run well but may not have any exposure to your computer's needs.  You should choose your computer professional like you choose your veterinarian.  After all, your computer's entire mission in life is to make you happy and do all the things your pets can't.   

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