Lets start with a few quick questions about your computer. Don't worry, they'll be simple ones.

1. What antivirus software is installed on your computer?
2. When were the virus definitions last updated?
3. Is it the most current version from the company that wrote it?
4. When does the license expire?
   1. Will the license automatically renew?
   2. Will the company automatically charge your credit card or bank account to renew the license even if you aren't still using the software?
5. How do you know the software is any good?

Microsoft has recently released Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. Fortunately, at this time it is not being automatically installed through Automatic Updates. If you visit Windows Update and get prompted to install Service Pack 3, there are are some things you may want to consider before installing it.

Over the last 3 years the most frequent support call that I receive is from people who have noticed that over time their computer has gotten really slow. There are a number of things that can really slow your computer down, and some of them are very easy and simple to track down and fix.

I take a lot of pride in my work. I spend a large portion of every year in various kinds of training so that I may continue to be at the top of my field. Over the years I have spent thousands of dollars on training materials and hardware to test different systems.

All of this allows me to show up knowing that I can fix almost any computer problem. Typically the only exceptions to that are things that are simply out of my hands. If the reason that you can't get to the internet turns out to be that your isp is in the middle of a service outage, there is obviously nothing I can do about that. But mostly, if it is broken, I can fix it.

The salt-air and humidity in Mazatlan don't mix well at all with anything metal. Anyone who lives here and most who have visited will have already figured that out and be wondering if I have a point. We've all seen the rust on the iron bars on our gates, on metal shelving, silverware, pots, cars, and numerous other things. Most of us know that things like iron gates need to be painted to protect them from rusting. I want to mention a few things that won't be news to anyone who has spent extensive time here, but may be a bit of a surprise for short time visitors or people starting to consider moving here.