TRI Newsletter – June 2022

Rate Change

We’re all likely aware of the rising expenses facing us all, from gas, to rent and interest, and many of the services we rely on in our day to day lives.  We at Technical Reinforcements are subject to these same increases, and have decided that we must raise our rates accordingly.

Effective 7/1/22 we will be changing our hourly rate and travel charges.

The hourly rate will be $150 per hour with a 1 hour minimum for all onsite calls and in 15 minutes increments after that.

All remote work will be billed in 15 minute increments with the same rate.

Our shop rate, for work done in our office to be worked on over a longer time table than our normal 1-2 day will remain at $90 per hour.

We are also doing away with travel charges if you are within a 20 mile radius of our PO Box location in St Louis Park. Any client beyond that distance will have a time-based trip charge applied.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter – June 2022” →

TRI Newsletter – October 2021

Windows 11 is here

Windows 11 is out and starting to show up on new computer purchases.  This is the first OS upgrade since Windows 10 was released in 2015.

Companies will continue to put Windows 10 on the majority of new computers for now, and it continue to be supported until October 2025.

Microsoft has said that all devices that meet the system requirements will receive a free upgrade offer by the middle of 2022.  The most common question we get asked is, “Should I do this upgrade?”  While it is up to you, we recommend waiting until they work the kinks out before doing the upgrade.  I personally will get a new computer with the new OS already on it and leave my current system as is.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter – October 2021” →

TRI Newsletter – July 2021

Welcome Back!

Technical Reinforcements is happy to say we are back to doing home visits after only performing repairs in office or via remote for so long.  The office is still open for drop offs and pickups and if that works for you.  We will also continue to provide remote support when it is the best choice for your situation.  As long as you have an internet connection we can do a remote which can often save you some money, and frequently get you an appointment sooner. If you would like to schedule an appointment just give us a call at 612-720-0233.

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TRI Newsletter – Mar 2021

Windows 10 AntiVirus Programs

We frequently get asked by our clients what we recommend for Antivirus software.  This is a field that is constantly shifting, with the programs that are most effective changing even as frequently as month to month.  In order to keep our clients safe, we do our best to stay on top of the various groups that regularly test and rate these programs.  The good news is that currently one of the top antivirus programs is built into every Windows 10 computer.  Windows Defender has very good ratings and uses very little of the resources on your computer.

If Windows Defender is not appropriate for you to use, for whatever reason, reach out to us, and we can provide some alternative options that might be a better fit in your specific case.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter – March 2021” →

TRI Newsletter – Oct 2020

Login Security

Most of us are concerned about our online and email security.  There are so many accounts that we use all the time that involve a username & password that need to be secure.  This is a rabbit hole that goes very deep, but we have some rules of thumb that can help.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter – October 2020” →

TRI Newsletter – Aug 2020

COVID-19

Technical Reinforcements is among those who worked from home during the Shelter in place order and for the most part we still are.  The office is open now for contactless drop off and pick up and we are doing remote support.  As long as you have an internet connection we can do a remote. In some instances we can do phone support when your internet is not available.  We are not doing onsite visits to homes yet.

While on the subject of Covid-19

I have been alerted to a number of people getting phone calls and emails about being exposed to Covid-19 and that they should be tested right away.

They then proceed to ask for billing address &  credit card information so they can send you the test.

This is the next version of the support scammer calls.  Please be leary of anyone calling and asking you to verify your address and bank or credit card information.  Don’t talk to them.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter – August 2020” →

TRI Newsletter – April 2020

COVID-19 and remote access.

With the spread of the Coronavirus and the Shelter at Home order for MN, many of us are working from home, and we at Technical Reinforcements are among that many.  We have closed the office and are doing remote support from our homes. While this is not ideal it is the best we can do in this unprecedented situation. As long as you have an internet connection we can do a remote. In some instances we can do phone support when your internet is not available.

If you are having to work from home, and need help getting things set up, or troubleshooting a problem with your existing remote setup, we are definitely here to help.  In the past few weeks we’ve helped countless individuals and businesses get people set up to work from home during this time, and are happy to continue to do so as things progress.

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To all of our clients and friends, new and old.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter January 2020” →

Hello again!  We’re back with another quarterly newsletter today, with some new topics that we have been getting a lot of questions about lately.  We’ll be going over backups, end of support for Windows 7, and tips for choosing the right portable computing solution.

Backups

The best method to follow is the 3-2-1 Backup Rule. The 3-2-1 backup rule is an easy-to-remember acronym for a common approach to keeping your data safe in almost any failure scenario. The rule is: keep at least three (3) copies of your data, and store two (2) backup copies on different storage media (external hard drives, optical disks, or a cloud backup service,) with one (1) of them located offsite. To clarify, let’s take a look at each point of this rule.

Continue reading “TRI Newsletter August 2019” →