Uncategorized – Provost Computer

WordPress CSS for Dummies: A Basic Theme Customization Intro for WordPress

Let’s face it, none of the WordPress themes out there look just the way you want them to. That’s why you hire people like me. But for the do-it-yourself type, this post is meant to be an intro into basic CSS WordPress theme customization. The knowledge here works on any site, but the focus will be on implementing it via WordPress and using language anyone can understand.

What is CSS?

First, what is CSS? The term stands for Cascading Style Sheets, and it determines how HTML is displayed. In other words, this determines what your site looks like. So if the CSS code says your footer should have padding on the bottom of it, you will have a big blank space down there. WordPress themes come with a lot of CSS already written in them, which you can override in order to customize your theme. Many themes come with a lot of options, but with CSS you can customize even the most basic WordPress theme. Continue reading “WordPress CSS for Dummies: A Basic Theme Customization Intro for WordPress”

WordPress Security: Brute Force Attacks and Why not to use Default Usernames and Weak Passwords on WordPress

For the last few months, I have had a constant barrage of brute force attempts on my site. Thankfully I have it set up with a decent security plugin, so they have done nothing but waste a bit of hosting power. But it’s pretty eye opening to see the sheer size of their bot network. I’m not sure if it’s multiple attackers or just one big network, but I have seen over 6000 different IP addresses attempt to login to my site repeatedly. Continue reading “WordPress Security: Brute Force Attacks and Why not to use Default Usernames and Weak Passwords on WordPress”

Sometimes my hardware fails too.

This morning, my PC wouldn’t boot.

Sometimes my hardware fails too. The symptoms? My PC was rebooting constantly, never making it into Windows. This can put a bit of a damper on a web developer’s career. Thankfully, it was an easy fix. Continue reading “Sometimes my hardware fails too.”

BEWARE fake updates!

I have been seeing fake browser updates popping up from advertisements on otherwise legit sites here lately, especially on links posted on Facebook.

These often pop up with a logo of the browser you’re using and a legitimate looking background, and say something to make you think your computer it at risk if you don’t download the update immediately. Like the image here that says “Urgent Firefox update.” The file it was trying to download was “urgent security patch.exe”

If you see one of these, don’t download it. Continue reading “BEWARE fake updates!”

Hard Drive Recovery

I talked about data recovery of deleted or corrupted files, but what if the hard disk itself isn’t even picking up on the computer? No amount of software can fix that. This can be a number of things.

The other day I fixed an external hard drive in this condition. The owner thought it was dead and that they had lost all their priceless files. Continue reading “Hard Drive Recovery”

Deleted Data Recovery

I often get questions on the topic of deleted files and data recovery. Some people think that when you delete a file, it’s gone forever. This isn’t the case. The way our computers delete files is they simply forget that they exist – but the data itself is still there until overwritten by other data. And even then, a partial recovery may be possible. This is the case on both hard disk drives, and the newer solid state drives. It’s the same for other forms of permanent storage like memory cards or flash drives. Continue reading “Deleted Data Recovery”

Laptop Screen Repair

I had someone ask me about laptop screen repair, and if I can fix a broken laptop screen. Answer is yes – but you have to replace the whole LCD/LED panel, not just the glass. Prices vary, you just have to find the right one for your model of laptop. They range from as low as $40 to as much as $200+ depending on the laptop model. And you have to match everything up to make sure it’s the right one. I don’t mind looking for a part if anyone has a laptop that needs this done, just let me know and I’ll try to find a deal on one and give you a quote. This would also correct other problems with the LCD panel, like dead pixels. Continue reading “Laptop Screen Repair”