IT Support

Along with the surge of people working from home or in hybrid situations over the last few years, there has also been an increase in employers looking for ways to monitor their employees’ work activities to ensure they actually ARE working when remote. This is no surprise given the new “quiet quitting” trend that has now evolved into “Bare Minimum Mondays” and “Try Less Tuesdays.” Sadly, some employees are taking advantage of working remotely as a way of working less. Of course, not all remote employees are slackers – but how can an employer know the difference? That’s where tools like Teramind and ActivTrak come into play. These are software tools that can be installed on employees’ workstations and laptops to monitor their activity, both while in the office and remote. Not only will these tools provide insights into productivity and where employees are spending their time, an employer can also see when someone checks in to work and leaves for the day. These apps can also help in ensuring employees aren’t surfing inappropriate websites during work hours using company resources. While many people are against monitoring, it’s perfectly legal in the US, provided this is for work-related activities on workplace devices. Monitoring laws do vary by state, so you should always check with an HR attorney on any employee-related monitoring. While there is no requirement to gain consent on a federal level, some states require that you establish consent before monitoring. It’s also legal to monitor company-owned devices outside of work hours, including Internet traffic, search terms, websites visited, GPS geolocation and content viewed, to name a few things. If you issue your employees’ phones, you are legally allowed to monitor them as well. It’s even legal to monitor your employees’ own personal devices if you have a BYOD (bring your own device) to work, provided those devices are used for work purposes. If you are thinking of rolling out employee-monitoring software, here are a few recommendations. Let your employees know you WILL be monitoring them, and how, before rolling out any monitoring activities. Being totally transparent about what you are monitoring and why is important to establishing and maintaining trust with your employees. Most people would be very upset to discover you were monitoring them without their knowledge. While it’s legally your right (in most states) to monitor without letting them know, we feel it’s best to be open about this so they understand what’s being recorded. Put in writing what is and isn’t allowed during work hours and on company-owned assets. If you don’t want employees visiting what you deem as inappropriate websites and mixing personal activities with work activities on company-owned devices, let them know that. If they work from home, set guidelines such as start and end times for work and how long and how frequently they can take breaks, detailing when they need to be available (at work). No one likes getting a speeding ticket when there’s no speed limit signs posted. Be absolutely clear on your expectations and put them in writing so there’s no risk of “You never told me that…” happening. Get legal advice before implementing any kind of monitoring software, cameras or activities. Laws can change – and with privacy of data becoming more critical (and a legal hot potato), we suggest you work with an HR attorney to make sure you’re not violating anyone’s rights. Recently, the fast-food restaurant White Castle was hit with a lawsuit that could cost them up to $17 billion for using fingerprint login software for their employees to access certain systems. The lawsuit claims they violated Illinois’s biometric identification laws by asking employees to use their fingerprint as a secure way of logging in to their systems without first gaining consent. So, while it’s legal to monitor employees, you still need to be mindful of employment laws and data and privacy protection of the employees you monitor. Need help implementing a more secure and productive remote workplace? Click here to schedule a quick call to discuss your options and to get ideas on how we can help you and your entire team be productive and safe, no matter where or how you choose to work.

How To Apply For Your Share Of Facebook’s Recent $725 Million Privacy Lawsuit Here’s a shocker: Facebook is being forced to pay a whopping $725 million in a settlement following a number of lawsuits claiming they violated users’ privacy. This is in addition to another class action lawsuit for $650 million for storing and collecting the biometric data of nearly 1.3 million Illinois residents without their knowledge or consent.  The lawsuits allege that Facebook shared data from users and their friends with third parties without the users’ knowledge or consent and then failed to monitor or direct how these third parties accessed the data or what they did with it. The plaintiffs’ lawyers estimate about 250 to 280 million people may be eligible for payments as part of this suit. The money being paid to each person depends on how long they’ve had a Facebook account and how many people actually file claims. Users will get “points” for every month they’ve had an account between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. The money will be split (after lawyers’ fees are paid, of course) based on those numbers, so don’t expect a financial windfall that will allow you to move to Beverly Hills. The only people getting rich here are the lawyers. If you had a Facebook account during the dates above, you’re automatically part of the settlement, but you must submit a claim by August 25 of this year using this website. If you do nothing, you won’t get paid and you’ll give up the right to sue or be part of another lawsuit against Facebook related to these claims. However, if you’re feeling ambitious (and have deep pockets to pay the legal fees), you can choose to opt out of this lawsuit and attempt to sue Facebook separately, under your own initiative.  We should all be happy that big tech companies accessing, selling, and sharing our data without our knowledge or consent are being held accountable; but it’s not enough to depend on lawyers or our government to protect our identity and personal information. Companies like Meta make far too much money from our data to turn away from selling it and using it. For example, Meta made over $116 billion last year from a FREE app. That money is coming from selling access and data. This lawsuit, while sizeable, only represents just 0.62% of the company’s total revenue – a rounding error. The entire dark web and the rise of hacking demonstrate how much money there is to be made from gaining access to personally identifiable information, so you need to be careful you don’t end up a victim of your data being stolen, shared, and sold.  One of the ways to prevent your information from being shared is by going into the privacy settings on Facebook and finding “Your Facebook information.” From there, click “Off-Facebook activity” and “Recent activity” to clear your history. You can also click “Manage future activity” and choose “Disconnect future activity” to disable this feature. Of course, if you like the ads you get from Facebook this will (should?) make all of that go away.  Another suggestion is to check the privacy settings on your phone to ensure apps installed aren’t getting free access to your camera and microphone unless specifically given permission by you to perform those functions. Many apps will install with that access feature turned on and require you to opt-out.  Of course, as a business owner, YOU have to also think about how you are storing and using your client’s data. As this lawsuit proves, the government is taking data privacy and protection seriously, which is why you’re seeing more regulatory compliance for data security and privacy hitting all industry sectors. If you want to make sure you’re not accidentally exposing your clients’ data and violating data protection laws, schedule a quick call with us to discuss your concerns and see if there are ways we can help you avoid exposing your clients’ and employees’ data by accident. 

They say, “You get what you tolerate” and now more than ever, we’ve been conditioned to tolerate worse service at higher prices. Companies get a ‘free pass’ simply by saying phrases like “the labor shortage,” “because COVID,” or “inflation.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. While you may be able to still do business even with some less-than-stellar vendors in some areas if all your computers were to suddenly stop working, your network go down, your files gone, chances are you’d be dead in the water. Your business depends on technology, and you need to make sure everything is up and running RIGHT and you’re protected ALL the time. Here’s a list of ten common problems, complaints, and just downright failures in service we hear of all the time…and I’ll show you how to eliminate them in your business. When you call your IT company, your message goes to voice mail and you’re stuck waiting hours (or even days) for a call back so your problem gets resolved. You often must reach out multiple times to get a problem resolved and you need to check back to see what the status is and get a timeframe. Your IT company doesn’t proactively monitor, patch and update your computer network’s critical security settings daily (or at least weekly) leaving your entire business vulnerable to attacks. Your IT company doesn’t offer proof that they are backing up ALL your data, laptops, and devices. Your IT company doesn’t meet with you regularly (at least once a quarter) to report what they’ve been doing, review projects and offer new ways to improve your network’s performance instead of waiting until you have a problem to make recommendations. Your IT company doesn’t provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for. Your IT company doesn’t explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms that you can understand, NOT in “geek speak” and they don’t routinely ask if there’s anything else they can help with, no matter how small. Your IT company doesn’t proactively discuss cybersecurity with you or make recommendations for protecting your network from ransomware and offer employee training videos, so they don’t fall victim to a scam. Your IT company hasn’t provided you complete network documentation, and they hold the “keys to the kingdom” refusing to give you admin passwords so you’re totally helpless if something goes wrong and you can’t get a hold of them. Techs arrive late and dressed like they just got out of bed, and you cringe every time you need to make that call because they’ll make you feel dumb or like they are ‘doing you a favor’ even though you’re paying them! If you’re tolerating any of these common problems, know that you don’t have to! You could be paying for substandard support and worse, not be keeping your company protected. This could jeopardize your data and your network’s security and cost you thousands in lost productivity because you and your employees are spending time dealing with problems that shouldn’t exist. If that’s the case, then it’s time you see what else is out there and make sure you’re getting what you pay for. To schedule a free 10-minute discovery call to see how we can get rid of your tech issues, go to https://calendar.app.google/jSA1tteBxFJKnJkX6 or call us at 774-241-8600.

You’ve heard the phrase “Get with the program!” It’s often used as a direct order to someone to fall in line with the way things are supposed to be done at your company. The problem is, most business owners don’t have “a program” for employees to get with, and therefore they get wild and erratic results, as well as a lot less performance, output, and productivity, from each person they employ. Then everyone’s frustrated – you, because nobody is doing what you need them to do, and them, because they weren’t given clear instructions and guides on the work and results they are supposed to be doing. Given the current economic environment, with inflation still high, salary demands on the rise, and a potential hard recession looming, no business can afford to employ people who aren’t “with the program” anymore. To be clear, I’m not talking about a sweatshop, boiler-room “manual” of step-by-step instructions on every little thing you do in your office (although that may be necessary for some positions and tasks). I’m talking about a well-thought-out and clearly communicated set of RESULTS and EXPECTATIONS for each person in your company, so they can be extremely clear about what results they are supposed to be delivering for you. We call it a job scorecard. For example, is the purpose of your receptionist to “answer the phone” or is it to be the “director of first impressions,” ensuring that every client, prospect, or person calling your office is delighted by how they are treated and helped? To ensure every prospect is promptly connected with a salesperson and not left to wander in your phone tree or leave a voice mail for some unknown stranger, hoping for a callback? Most simply tell their assistant, “Answer the phone.” But even a rude, stupid, and willfully spiteful person can do that. Are you sure that’s what you want? Left to their own devices, some employees might do just that. How often have you called a company to talk to someone in “customer service” and they made you angrier and more upset than before you called in? My point exactly. So, step one is make sure every employee has a scorecard that clearly defines the following: Mission of the Position: What’s the purpose of that position? To increase sales? Delight customers? Prevent cancellations and churn? Develop clients and nurture repeat business? Start here when thinking of positions in your company. Key Results: Once you know the mission of the position, the next section you need to articulate is what key results that person is supposed to achieve in a way that’s measurable. For sales and marketing professionals, that’s easy. Secure $100,000 in new sales every month. Generate 10 qualified appointees/leads a week. In customer service, that might be a client “saves” or upgrades. On a service desk, like ours, it may be the speed of tickets cleared and customer satisfaction ratings. For leaders, it may be hitting certain revenue and profitability targets. To the best of your ability, give everyone at least one, but no more than three, key results they need to achieve. This takes the drama out of performance because if it’s measured, it’s not based on an opinion or anecdotal evidence. Specific Responsibilities: Next, make sure every employee has a list of specific actions, tasks, and responsibilities they must fulfill every day, week, month, quarter, and year. That way you avoid dropped balls and overlooked tasks because “no one told me I was supposed to do that.” Of course, if you’re clear on the outcomes a person needs to accomplish, the tasks nearly write themselves – after all, if the goal is to lower churn or increase sales, and employees are compensated that way, it’s infinitely easier to “motivate” them to do what’s necessary. Once you have these roles and scorecards, it’s helpful to share them with the entire team so everyone in the company understands what each person’s roles and responsibilities are. One way of sharing is in Microsoft Teams, where you can create Wikis, To-Do lists, file sharing, checklists, and chat to collaborate on projects that cross multiple departments and employees.  If you want help exploring how to use any of these tools in your company, click here to schedule a quick discovery call to see what’s possible. 

Southwest Airlines’ recent fiasco that caused them to cancel over 16,700 flights, leaving people stranded across America, was the epitome of what’s happening with so many businesses right now across the US. A total and complete meltdown in service due to cheapness. During their busiest season, Southwest had to apologize for miscommunications that led to thousands of their customers being left stranded at airports. In Nashville, the airport police were telling checked-in travelers whose Southwest flights had been canceled that they would be arrested and physically removed for trespassing if they didn’t voluntarily leave the secure area because their boarding passes were no longer valid. Southwest employees were getting into verbal fights with obviously frustrated passengers, and very little communication was offered to passengers.  This little nightmare is estimated to have cost Southwest in the neighborhood of $725 million to $825 million, not to mention the loyalty of its customers and the damage to its reputation. Now, how’s the cost of that IT upgrading looking, Mr. CEO? Of course, nobody likes to invest money into IT upgrades and other “infrastructure” improvements. Money spent on a new website will drive new opportunities into your organization and (hopefully) give you an advantage over your competition. An easy investment. Money spent on office remodeling can be enjoyed every day, making employees happier and impressing clients who visit the office – another “easy” investment that delivers visible, tangible ROI instantly. But NOBODY likes to spend thousands of dollars on basic IT upgrades – UNTIL the meltdown brings your organization to a grinding halt at the worst possible time.  So, what should you spend on IT? According to a study done by TechTarget, companies generating less than $50 million in revenue spend an average of 6.9% of their total revenue on IT costs. But with regulatory compliance laws and cyber-attacks on the uptick, those budgets need to be increased in order to simply avoid a massive loss. Another survey, conducted by Capterra, showed that 75% of SMBs said they would be spending 10% to 20% MORE in 2023 on software and IT than in the previous year. A HUGE increase.  What are they spending it on? Cyber security being driven by compliance regulations and risk management is, without a doubt, one of the big areas of increase in spending. Another is workforce enablement to give employees more flexible (but secure) ways to work from home, on the road, or in the office. And finally, many companies are investing in any kind of technology that will reduce their need for and dependency on growing their workforce. Overhead walks on two legs – so, if a business can increase productivity without adding people, that’s always a win. Being “too cheap” in anything as a means to improve profits is a terrible long-term strategy. In fact, it’s a misnomer to even call it a “strategy.” It’s simply a short-term fix that should only be used in the most dire of times. Cutting IT spending to the quick gives a false sense of savings, as Southwest Airlines discovered. It’s not a problem until it IS. Then you have a giant, expensive mess to clean up that could cost you far more in losses than in money saved short term.  Book a 10-minute discovery call to see what you should expect to pay for IT in your area. 

Covid changed everyone’s lives in dramatic ways on many levels – but small and big businesses alike were radically impacted, from events, restaurants, and retail being shut down to sending everyone home to work remotely.   It’s no surprise that the tech sector thrived during this time, from remote work solutions to online ordering, telemedicine, virtual events, and more. Good or bad, a LOT of these changes are here to stay.  Cyber security protection to avoid or at least mitigate losses. Warren Buffet is famous for his two rules of investing and making money: Rule #1: Don’t lose money. Rule #2: Never forget Rule #1.While nobody likes to spend money on cyber security, the simple fact of the matter is that if you don’t, or if you underinvest in adequate protections, you WILL lose money in your business, either from it being taken from your bank account or from the vast number of costs associated with a breach that most people grossly underestimate. Without a doubt, cybercriminals went gangbusters during the lockdowns when millions of people were forced to work remotely using unsecured home WiFi, laptops, and cell phones. The Trend Micro Annual Cybersecurity Report saw a whopping 16 million threats related to Covid-19 in 2020 alone. Business Wire recently reported that 81% of global organizations experienced an increase in cyberthreats and 79% experienced downtime due to a cyber security risk. These threats are continually getting more aggressive, frequent, and damaging, so you must have a plan in place to ensure you’re not robbed blind and taken out. Click here for a free cyber security risk assessment to see how vulnerable you are. Using tech to get more efficient with fewer employees. Since 2010, the US unemployment rate has been on a steady decline, from nearly 10% to under 3% right at the start of 2020. Covid shutdowns temporarily covered up this shortage with thousands being laid off, but now that life is back to “normal” (whatever this new normal is), the labor shortage has crippled many businesses that are now trying to reopen but can’t operate at full capacity, not only due to an inability to find and keep good people but also because of the cost of hiring with salary demands increasing.This is forcing many organizations to implement automated systems, as well as artificial intelligence to replace workers, like grocery store checkout lines being limited to only two or three open, driving customers to use self-checkout, or companies switching to AI-driven chatbots, text messages, and phone systems to handle the initial customer requests, lowering the need for paid employees. Another area many businesses are focusing on is getting more productivity from every employee using tech and automation. Many sales departments are using dialers, CRM, and marketing automation systems to get a single rep to be far more productive, generating more sales by removing or reducing manual labor tasks and “paperwork” that fills hours of any sales rep’s day. And finally, another growing area of focus is to ensure the productivity of employees. This has become a hot topic since the shutdowns sent so many people home to work, and many people now ONLY want remote work. The problem is, many employees lack the personal discipline and productive environment to work distraction-free, making them far less productive than if they came into an office. To combat this, some businesses are utilizing productivity-monitoring software like ActivTrak or Teramind to know just how much time employees are away from their computers or surfing social media and other non-work-related sites. Doing this allows the employer to know if any employee is truly “overworked” or barely putting in an eight-hour day. Click here to schedule a quick call to discuss this software for your business. Online ordering and fulfillment. At an event in our industry, Marcus Lemonis, the star of the hit TV show The Profit and CEO of the billion-dollar brands Camping World and Good Sam, shared how Camping World frantically transitioned his retail stores to online ordering, shipping, and drive-by pickup to enable his customers to keep buying when the stores were physically shut down. An investment that not only paid off in the short term but also expanded the company’s ability to generate sales and fuel customer spending and loyalty.Many restaurants started or enhanced online ordering during the lockdowns, some becoming pickup-only establishments with no indoor seating, decreasing the need for more employees while continuing to generate sales. They also started (and many have kept) ordering using a QR code, eliminating paper menus, and facilitating ordering and payment. Some have gotten into the business of preassembled cook-from-home boxes, like Middlebury Pizzeria, which sells mini pizza kits you make and bake at home, opening a new revenue stream they didn’t have pre-pandemic. A good question to ask is how can you add some type of digital or online ordering and fulfillment to your organization? Maybe it’s time to go paperless and collect all payments with credit cards or other digital payment systems, eliminating paper invoices and many of your collection problems once and for all. Many medical companies are now storing clients’ credit cards and bank information for this reason. Of course, this opens up another door for cyber security problems and compliance issues, but the payoff can be huge. As always, you can schedule a quick 10-minute call to discuss your ideas for going digital for payments and order fulfillment.

It’s not just cybercriminals who hack into networks and steal data. Most business owners erroneously think cybercrime is limited to hackers based in China or Russia, but the evidence is overwhelming that disgruntled employees, both of your company and your vendors, can cause significant losses due to their knowledge of your organization and access to your data and systems. What damage can they do?  They leave with YOUR company’s files, client data, and confidential information stored on personal devices, as well as retaining access to cloud applications, such as social media sites and file-sharing sites (Dropbox or OneDrive, for example), that your IT department doesn’t know about or forgets to change the password to. In fact, according to an in-depth study conducted by Osterman Research, 69% of businesses experience data loss due to employee turnover, and 87% of employees who leave take data with them. What do they do with that information? Sell it to competitors, BECOME a competitor, or retain it to use at their next job. Funds, inventory, trade secrets, client lists, and HOURS stolen. There are dozens of sneaky ways employees steal, and it’s happening a LOT more than businesses care to admit. According to the website StatisticBrain, 75% of all employees have stolen from their employers at some point. From stealing inventory to check and credit card fraud, your hard-earned money can easily be stolen over time in small amounts that you never catch.Here’s the most COMMON way they steal: They waste HOURS of time on your dime to do personal errands, shop, play games, check social media feeds, gamble, read the news and a LONG list of non-work-related activities. Of course, YOU are paying them for a 40-hour week, but you might only be getting half of that. Then they complain about being “overwhelmed” and “overworked.” They tell you, “You need to hire more people!” so you do. All of this is a giant suck on profits if you allow it. Further, if your IT company is not monitoring what employees do and limiting what sites they can visit, they could do things that put you in legal jeopardy, like downloading illegal music and video files, visiting adult content websites, gaming, and gambling – all of these sites fall under HIGH RISK for viruses and phishing scams. They DELETE everything. A common scenario: An employee is fired or quits because they are unhappy with how they are being treated – but before they leave, they permanently delete ALL of their e-mails and any critical files they can get their hands on. If you don’t have that data backed up, you lose it ALL. Even if you sue them and win, the legal costs, time wasted on the lawsuit and on recovering the data, not to mention the aggravation and distraction of dealing with it all, are all greater costs than what you might get awarded if you win the lawsuit, might collect in damages. Do you really think this can’t happen to you? Think again.  You have to be proactive in protecting your organization. To find out if your IT company is doing everything in its power to protect you book a 10-minute discovery call using this link https://calendar.app.google/jSA1tteBxFJKnJkX6 and you’ll also get access to a FREE and confidential cybersecurity risk assessment.

If you depend on your computer network to run your business (and who doesn’t?), you’ll want someone treating your data as securely as they would their own.    Not knowing what’s going on behind the scenes should scare the crap out of you. It is NOT unreasonable that your IT company is monitoring your network 24/7/365. Stop paying for substandard support. It’s important for you to interview your current company to ensure they are up to your standards. This will help you determine if it’s time for a change (so you can sleep at night). The top 3 questions to ask include: “Do you provide detailed invoices clearly outlining what we are paying for?”       If your auto draft is just sending a traditional monthly payment without explanation, something isn’t right. Each invoice needs to show what services each dollar covers, just to ensure you aren’t being nickel-and-dimed outside of what’s covered in your contract. “Do you provide status reports on new projects?”       Or if they’re working on an in-process project? It’s on them to provide updates and give you ETAs on when work will be completed.   “Do you offer guarantees on services?”       Any IT company should back its services 100%. Any updates, additions, subtractions, etc., should not be an additional charge and should be guaranteed to work the first time, without having to submit an additional ticket.  We are offering a free report with 13 additional questions to ask any IT company to make sure you have hired the best choice for services. It also includes cost-saving strategies. To know more about it, you may call us at 774-504-5558 or book a 10-minute discovery call using this link https://calendar.app.google/jSA1tteBxFJKnJkX6

They don’t call you back, they don’t text back, and when you get time with them, they are disheveled, rude, and uninterested, doing barely enough to keep things going. This sounds like a bad date…and it’s one that many businesses are on with their current IT guy. You have a problem, need a password, the Internet is down, you have site problems, need a new computer [insert any part here] and you “submit a ticket” only to wait hours, days, or even weeks to hear back, much less get the problem resolved. The #1 complaint businesses have that causes them to “break up” with their current IT guy is that he simply wasn’t responsive. Just like you wouldn’t stand for this in your personal life, you shouldn’t stand for it in your professional life…especially when you’re paying them!!! If your current company doesn’t have a response-time guarantee, you’re probably on a bad date. Most IT firms offer a 60-minute or 30-minute response time to your call during normal business hours. Be very wary of someone who doesn’t have a guaranteed response time IN WRITING – that’s a sign they are too disorganized, understaffed, or overwhelmed to handle your request.  A good IT firm should be able to show you statistics from their PSA (professional services automation) software, where all client problems (tickets) get responded to and tracked. Ask to see a report on average ticket response and resolution times. Also, any good IT company will answer their phones LIVE (not voice mail or phone trees) and respond from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every weekday. But many CEOs and executives work outside normal “9 to 5” hours and need IT support both nights and weekends, so ask about their guarantees for after-hours issues as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5dFilcmY4w Technology Tips By Centrend Podcast: Episode #5 With the scarcity of computers right now and the need for additional computers for remote working and remote learning, many folks are dusting off their old Windows 7 computers. The problem is, you may not remember the password to it. In this blog entry, I show you how to recover a Windows 7 password, without a recovery USB stick. While it’s not ideal to use Windows 7 computers as they are no longer under support and may have unpatched security vulnerabilities, it may be necessary to get you through the pinch. The first step is to click the bottom right corner to shut Windows down. Turn the computer on and immediately being rapidly pressing the F8 key.  A menu should appear like the one below. Use the arrow keys to arrow down to Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Press Enter and Windows starts in a special boot mode.  If the Administrator account had been already activated, we would see an option here to change users.  Since no additional account appears that we can switch to, we will be able to boot to alternate media and turn on the hidden administrator account! You’ll need media to continue. While modern Windows 10 computers don’t usually come with any media, many if not most Windows 7 computers shipped with either a DVD or a USB stick. If not, contact us and we can help you find media to use for recovery. Shut the computer off again. Insert your recovery media into the DVD player or the USB stick into a USB slot. Turn the computer back on and this time rapidly press the F12 key for a boot options menu.  Note: Some computers don’t use F12. If F12 doesn’t work for you, watch your computer’s screen for a hint. It could be Del or F2 key for example. Use the arrow keys to select the media you inserted. This could say DVD or USB. Press Enter. As soon as you press enter, you’ll be prompted “Press any key to boot…” Press a key such as Enter to get the computer to boot the recovery media instead of your internal hard drive. You’ll see a message “Windows is loading files…” It will look like it’s a brand-new install of Windows 7.  Choose the default language, then click next. When the install/repair menu comes up, click Repair your computer. After a few minutes, you will be presented with a menu to choose the operating system. Click Next. Now for the recovery option, choose Command Prompt. When the command prompt opens, type the following and press the Enter key: net user administrator /active:yes You should get a reply that the command was completed successfully. Type Exit and press the Enter key and you’ll be back at the System Recovery Options menu. Click Restart to restart the computer normally. You will not press anything at boot-up this time. If you end up in Recovery mode again, remove the media and restart the computer to boot normally. Once you boot normally, you will see both the original user ID along with an administrator login that you can choose. Choose Administrator to log into that account. You won’t be prompted for a password because we didn’t set one. All we did at the command line was activate the account. It will take a few minutes for the administrator profile to be created. Once you see the desktop, we can set the password on the account we want to use with the computer. In this example, the name of the account is Mark. Click the start bubble at the bottom left, then go into the control panel. Next, go to User Accounts, the Add or Remove User Accounts. Click the account name you want to reset the password on. Now you can click either Remove the password or Change the password. Now restart the computer and you will be able to get right into your usual user profile again! Be sure to either disable the administrator account or set a password for it to keep your computer secure. If you get stuck at any part of this process, give us a call or submit our consulting form for a quick free assessment of your situation.