ASW 10 Update–10.72.21 Installation Notes

May 23, 2017 by

On Monday we pushed out the latest build of ASW 10, and it is a significant update.  We need you to do one task, with these steps, or call and we’ll do it online for you —

  • In the lower right corner of your task bar, find the little island icon, and click the right mouse button.  When the menu pops up, click on Close Updater.
  • Now, look for the Windows Explorer icon.  It should look like a manilla file folder, and it will be on the task bar ( across the bottom of the windows screen ), or you can right click on the Windows Start button and find it.
  • Once it opens, in the columns on the left, locate the ASW10s folder.  Click on the symbol to the left of the name to see the subfolders.  One is MLS.  Click on it with the left mouse button.
  • On the right side of the screen, you will see a list of files.  One will say MLS10aus.exe.  Point to it, right click on the mouse, and select Copy.  Then point to and highlight the main ASW10s folder, right click on it, and select Paste. ; It will ask if you wish to overwrite the existing file.  Say Yes.
  • Now, with the ASW10 folder highlighted, browse down the list on the right side and find the MLS10aus.exe file.  Double click the left mouse button on it, starting the new updater.
    That’s all you need to do.  Again, we can sign on and do it for you without a problem.

So what is included in here ?  First, we get a lot of suggestions from people asking us to fine tune various aspects of the program, and especially new features.  This is because there are many ways for people to input data into ASW, and sometimes we can improve how people do it “their way” with some small adjustments, while not interfering with how the majority do it.

Secondly, some people were experiencing problems using the F1 key to bring up the proper help pages when on specific screens.  We’ve handled that.

Third, the new updater now handles the reminders for the new PM system, and for appointments.  We also did some adjustments to it’s email system.  We also increased the functionality so that it will do more auto update features.

Fourth, we have provided an update to the ASW 10 manual that includes the very latest features.

There has been a lot of work in here, but we certainly are not done yet.  We have some very helpful new features coming to serve you better this summer, and there will be a series of new training videos ( short, to the point ), and instruction on how to use all the power of the ASW marketing tools to actually drive more business to your bays.

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URGENT WARNING– Please Read Carefully –

May 19, 2017 by

You all work hard to run a good business, but there is an increasing problem with crooks who want to take your earnings away.  PLEASE be very cautious with any email or phone call that says you are in need of help with your tech devices.  It will ALWAYS be from someone seeking to do you harm.

You likely heard recently of Ransomware.  People get on to your computer, encrypt all the files, and then blackmail you to pay to have them cleared.  The problem is so prevalent that the government will tell you to pay the ransom because they simply can’t get to these people.  We are talking a very lucrative business for crooks.  The big operations go after large companies, but the technology is available to almost anyone, and so even the small operators will be working to steal from you.

Step One:  Only go to websites you know and if you encounter a message that says your computer has problems, with an instruction to call a number, exit the browser immediately.  DO NOT CALL THAT NUMBER.  Then get a known technician to help you get that link out of your system.

Step Two:  Check every single email you receive carefully, and never click on a link.  Even if you know the person, be sure they sent the email link before opening it.  It’s very easy for the crooks to gain access to your email contacts ( especially if you use gmail ), and they will often send fake emails from your “friends”.   Also, look for grammatical mistakes.  Thats a very quick indicator the email is fake.

Step Three:  Financial institutions will NOT send you emails with links.  They might send an email that says you should sign into your account for an important message, but you need to go there on your own.  NEVER TRUST A LINK in an email from any organization.  It will take you to a copy of a site, and when you sign in, you just gave away everything because they now have your login.

Step Four:  NEVER believe someone who calls to say they are from Microsoft, or the store you bought your computer from, and they need to connect to fix a problem.  Instead of fixing it, they will put on software that allows them to steal everything from your computer, and which now includes ransomware.  Don’t try to talk with them.  Simply end the call.  The ONLY time you will receive a call from a company like Microsoft is if you have an ACTIVE support case pending, and they are responding to your call for help.  Usually you will receive an email first with the case number and full identifying information.  They will NEVER reach out to you to start a process, only to work on a case you have already activated.

Step Five:  And this is the most important one -  HAVE EXTERNAL BACKUPS every day.  Auto Shop Writer does a daily backup of all your data.  By default it is in a folder on the server, or you can direct the system to make the backup to an external USB drive.  These are saved in compressed files.  They are named ASWxxxxxx.ZIP where the x’s are the date, ie. 050117.  They are in the servers ASW folder in a subfolder AswBkUp, or on another drive if you set one up.  You should also keep the most recent 10 files in the “cloud”.  If you are running Windows 10, you have a free copy of OneDrive with your Microsoft Account.  Simply copy and paste those files to the One Drive folder on your computer, and they will sync to the cloud.  Need help with this ?  Call in.

Step Six:  Make it incredibly clear to all your staff this computer system is responsible for their paychecks.  If they go anywhere that is not specifically authorized by your business, they risk losing their income.  In most cases, an employee brings an infection to the shop by browsing the web, and the costs can be thousands of dollars.  People can use their smartphones to conduct all personal business and communications …

This is a very real issue, and shop owners are being hit by crooks all of the time.  Never pay the ransom.  There is no safe way to do so.  The ransom is only the first wave, and they will get info from you to get far more money.  You will need to completely reformat your computer to get it clean, and then restore all of your data.  If you have backups, you can be back up and running within a day.  Also, if you do get hit, you need to go to all your accounts and change the login information.  Complicated passwords are tough, but necessary to protect what you’ve worked so hard to earn.

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