Removing a Shared File

I had a reader write in to ask: “Is it safe for me to remove shared files?”  This post covers this for my reader, and anyone else who may be wondering the same thing. 🙂

When you remove programs from your computer, using the Add/Remove Programs system, should you answer “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Do you want to remove a shared file?”

Shared files have the file extension “.DLL” on them. That means they’re a Dynamic Linked Library file. All this means is, the file in question can be used by different programs. A word processor (like MS Word) and another program may share a DLL file. So removing that file COULD cause another program to malfunction.

You may have seen a message stating that a certain file cannot be found. That file is needed in order to open the program you’re trying to use. Why is it missing? Could be that you removed it when you uninstalled another program and said YES to the question “Do you want to remove the shared file.”

The bottom line: If you aren’t familiar with a filename, and you’re asked if you want to delete it, don’t. Just answer “NO” to the question. It won’t do any harm if it’s not actually needed. But watch out if it *is* needed – and you’ve removed it!

 

Add/Remove Programs System?

 

Click on Start

Control Panel

Add/Remove Programs

Select the program you want to uninstall

Select Change/Remove

 

DLL files are tiny files, but it’s like a having a tiny fuse blowing in your car. When that tiny bit of power blows, all that sophisticated technology grinds to a halt.

Sometimes a .dll file disappears or is damaged, or is removed accidentally. And suddenly you find that one of your programs no longer works. The answer?

Download another one from the Internet and install it.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Just go to Google and type in dll in the search box. You’ll see a ton of links to sites that let you download the .dll file you’re missing from their .dll library. If you don’t find the file you’re looking for at one site, just go to another one until you do.

Some sites may try to charge you, but don’t pay for a .dll file… because there are other sites that will offer you the same file for free.

Be sure to write down the number of the .dll file you need, then type it into the search box of the download site. Also look for a site that gives you instructions on how to install it. Print out those instructions and follow them to a t… and everything should return to normal for you when you open that program that is missing a .dll file.

Until next time…

 

Don’t forget to Follow me on Twitter.

 

Ed

Greeting Cards

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th, and you’re going “Easy on the 5th”. 😉

 

I also hope that no one has been living in a closet to not know that the most prolific spam and virus monster to travel the Internet in quite some time is making it’s rounds disguised as a “Greeting Card from a Friend”…etc.

 

Here is a MODIFIED example of one of these email’s that LOOKS real… but careful analysis would tell you otherwise!  DO NOT click on the link in this example… just MOUSE OVER IT!
==========================================

 

Hi. School mate has sent you a postcard.

 

See your card as often as you wish during the next 15 days.

 

SEEING YOUR CARD
If your email software creates links to Web pages, click on your card’s direct www address below while you are connected to the Internet:

http://75.66.76.94/?c3a9ebeed435601e5ee71

Or copy and paste it into your browser’s “Location” box (where Internet addresses go).
  

PRIVACY
BlueMountain.Com honors your privacy. Our home page and Card Pick Up have links to our Privacy Policy.

 

TERMS OF USE
By accessing your card you agree we have no liability. If you don’t know the person sending the card or don’t wish to see the card, please disregard this Announcement.
We hope you enjoy your awesome card.

 

Wishing you the best,

 

Postmaster,

BlueMountain.Com

 

=============================================

Looks pretty legitimate, huh?  When you see only an IP address, this is a DEAD GIVEAWAY that a site is fake!  The legit BlueMountain.com website would NEVER do this.  NEVER!

 

This is exactly why I do NOT open even legitimate online Greeting Cards.  Those things are dangerous.. and now.. my long time preaching about why NOT to send electronic greeting cards to anyone is coming true!!

 

If you have opened even ONE online greeting card in the past month… I STRONGLY suggest you do a COMPLETE virus scan of your system and files.  One client called me this morning in complete distress over opening a greeting card he thought his daughter had sent him, only to find out it was a virus laden spoofed greeting card, and he just about lost his entire system!!

 

Folks…  be smart.  Stay the heck away from those things.. and DO NOT OPEN (or SEND anyone) an online greeting card, or a link from anyone saying they had sent you an online greeting card.

 

You have been warned!

 

Have a great Thursday!
Ed

 

 

Few Ideas

Well.. either most everyone is far too busy working with clients (not the reason I suspect), OR, most everyone is stumped by the question.

 

My question was:

What is your USP? What makes you different from your competitors — in ten words or less — and gives your customers a powerful, compelling reason to use your service?

 

Some of the responses were:

  • I have the key to your new home at the price you want to pay.
  • 100% HomeBuyer Representation 100% of the Time!
  • Protecting your bottom line is our business.
  • Exclusive Buyer Agent – Don’t invest in real estate without one!
  • Three important words in real estate: exclusive, buyer, agent.
  • Real estate “no spin zone” – an Exclusive Buyer Agent.
  • Where HomeBuyers Make and $ave Money.
  • Sellers NEVER, Buyers ONLY!
  • The Home Buyer’s team, always on your side.
  • I have a ‘Heart’ to be an Advocate** for HomeBuyers. 
    (** Advocate-to zealously work on your behalf always.

 

Let’s be brutally honest here for a moment, can we?

 

If you were an un-educated home buyer just beginning to think about buying a home, and just beginning to research real estate agents online (or off-line for that matter) Do ANY of those above USP’s cause you to say, “Hmmm… now that sounds like an agent (or company) I need to check out..” ?  Do they?

 

I’m not here to condemn, criticize or complain, just trying to stir some thought process here folks. 

 

I think, ALL TOO OFTEN, we all get very complacent and stuck in our ruts of thinking that just because we offer a unique and top notch service to home buyers, they are all going to automatically know it, just because I call myself an EBA.

 

It’s no fluke that EBA’s EVERYWHERE are having bad years.  The terrible press, the constant news about how bad the real estate industry is, the constant bad publicity with the sub-prime mortgage markets, all of these things are lending themselves to everyone (in most markets) seeing their lead flow decrease dramatically over the past few weeks and months.

 

Add to that, the fact that we (and I say we in general terms) are not exactly screaming our USP’s to the buying public and causing them to come running to see us or sign up at our websites for more information… and it’s no wonder that traffic is down.

 

Yet, at the same time, some brokers are having their best year ever… and recent news proves that record numbers of people are buying real estate right now in spite of all the bad news about how the home buying sector sucks.

 

One of the things that continues to amaze me after all these years is the number of brokers who don’t even promote their own blog or website on every single thing they do or send out… including, business cards, email signature lines (a big missed opportunity) letterhead, all print ads, phone on hold messages, and the list goes on and on and on.

 

I see it everyday… people who put up a website, and think the world will come flocking to their doorstep (their home page)…. and it just doesn’t happen.
“What’s wrong with my site?”  “What am I doing wrong?”  “Why am I not getting any leads?”

 

All very legitimate questions, but also questions that should be causing you to re-examine how you’re treating your business.

 

Over the next few weeks, I am going to continue this thread here, trying to instill in everyone a different mindset.  One that will cause you to look at what you’re doing (or not doing) in your business, and make you begin to think more about how you can compete better with today’s Internet, and what you need to be doing next to stay on the cutting edge, and how you need to be marketing today in order to stay competitive.

 

As EBA’s… we all too often get caught up in the fact that, yes, we know that what we do is best for the consumer, but how can we get that word out there, so the consumer knows?  That’s a question EBA’s have been asking since day one.  And although I don’t claim to all of a sudden have the magical answer… I do believe I have some ideas that, if put to use, will help you turn the rest of 2007 into one of the best years you’ve ever had.

 

You see, I am a firm believer that when real estate (in general) slows down or hits bottom, THAT is is the time to ramp up, not pull back.

 

Conventional thinking among most brokers is just the opposite.  Most start pulling back and cutting back when sales or leads are down, and that is the quickest way to sure death in your business you could go!

 

Keep reading here, and please.. continue to post your ideas and thoughts.  I don’t want this blog to be a one-way conversation of just me.  I appreciate your input, and appreciate your thoughts.   I know we have a lot of very smart individuals as clients, and I appreciate you being out there on a day-to-day basis… battling the battle and struggling to survive in a down market.   Let’s all share that wisdom, and make this blog a very active forum for idea exchange.

 

I’m also going to be changing this blog in the very near future so that you will be able to subscribe to comments, giving you the ability to receive an email anytime anyone comments on one of your comments.  Stay tuned for that.

 

In the meantime, as you prepare for this upcoming Memorial Day Holiday weekend… I’d like to personally thank you for your continued support and loyalty… and beg you to put your thinking caps on and be ready to expand your thinking over the coming weeks and months as I share some new stuff with you here. 🙂

 

Have a great holiday weekend!  Take some time to relax and enjoy!!

 

Ed

 

Watch Out for This One!

There is an email circulating that could fool you into clicking on the Zip File I wanted everyone to be VERY aware of! 

  

It comes with the subject line “Worm Alert!”… and says: 

  

Dear Customer, 

  

Our robot has detected an abnormal activity from your IP adress (note the mis-spelling!) on sending e-mails.  Probably it is connected with the last epidemic of a worm which does not have official patches at the moment.  We recommend you to install this patch to remove worm files and stop email sending, otherwise your account will be blocked.  We had archived the patch becouse (another mis-spelling!) the worm can modify unpacked exe files.  You should open the archive file, enter the password and run the patch immediately. 

Password: (some password is listed) 

Customer Support Center Robot. 

Followed by an attached ZIP file. 

  

Please remain vigilant about email’s like this.  I don’t know of a single legitimate email that asks you to open or run a patch like this.  If EVER there is an email that looks legitimate asking you to do this, rest assured, it’s 99.99% likely to be a scam or phishing scheme! 

  

 

Have a great (and hopefully viruse free) Thursday! 🙂

 

Ed