Topics for this edition of our newsletter include:
  *  NEW STARWIRE TEAM MEMBER
  *  FIREFOX OR CHROME INSTEAD OF INTERNET EXPLORER
  *  MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS AND SCAREWARE
  *  BECOME A FAN OF STARWIRE ON FACEBOOK

We are happy to announce a new addition to the Starwire Team. Jon Bartosh and his family have come from Oklahoma to join us just in time for a wonderful Wisconsin winter. Despite the inevitable cold weather, please give Jon a warm welcome to Starwire. Jon is ready to assist you with any questions you may have.

This is a good opportunity to remind you that in order to ensure prompt service, please remember to call our toll free number (877-679-4242) for any support questions you may have. If you have our personal cell phone numbers, Jon will be unable to assist you if you attempt to contact us directly, so please make sure you use the Starwire phone number for support.

The program you use to view web sites on the internet is called a "Web Browser". Most people use a browser called Internet Explorer which comes preinstalled on all Windows computers, and is the icon with a blue E that you might be clicking on when you get online.

While you may be familiar with using Internet Explorer, we HIGHLY recommend using a different web browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Firefox and Chrome are free, much faster than Internet Explorer, and much less susceptible to being attacked from viruses or other malicious sites.

We encourage you to try downloading Firefox and Chrome. Try them both out and decide which one you like best. By switching to a browser that is faster and more secure than Internet Explorer, we hope that you will be able to enjoy your internet connection even more! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

While we are on the topic of viruses and computer security, we would like to share our recommendation of Microsoft Security Essentials for virus and spyware protection. Security Essentials is a free download from Microsoft, and does a very good job of protecting from viruses, and removing harmful spyware from your computer. Before installing Security Essentials, please ensure you have removed any other anti-virus or anti-spyware from your computer first.

Please keep in mind that no antivirus program is perfect and they usually can't stop a virus that you invite into your computer. If you see a screen that pops up and informs you that there is an infection and that you need to download a tool to remove it, be sure to immediately click the red X in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. These are typically called "scareware" and try to scare you into thinking you need to download a program to fix your computer, but in reality, they are just tricking you into downloading the actual virus. Never supply your credit card number if asked for it by one of these screens, otherwise not only will you end up with a virus, but you have also given the attackers your financial information!

It is very important to ensure that your computer is clear of viruses and spyware. Many people get a virus and then just continue to use their computer without realizing what harm the virus may be doing. The virus could be spreading itself onto other computers, sending out millions of spam emails, or it could even be tracking everything you do and stealing your personal information. If you think you have a virus, please contact us for additional information about how to remove it from your computer.

If you haven't already, please become a Fan of Starwire Technologies on Facebook. You can view our Facebook page HERE. Please help us grow by spreading the word and letting others know about Starwire and the services we provide!

We look forward to sending you our next edition, so keep your eyes on your inbox.

Thanks for reading!

Sara and Joe

Starwire Technologies
PO Box 428
Siren, WI 54872
(877) 679-4242
www.starwire.net