Be thorough. While the rest of my advice is technical and specifc, this first suggestion will save you the most amount of time in the long run. After hundreds of diagnostics, it’s easy to cut corners because for the vast majority of cases you don’t need to do additional tests to discover the cause of an issue. But every now and then, a closer look will save you time and money. For example, always strip a laptop down when testing a motherboard failure. Even if it looks like the common video chip issue there are rare circumstances where the problem was a faulty memory stick or slot. Test your machines through and through!

Connectivity issues. During malware removal, a couple of unobvious causes of a connection failing are proxies and old Norton installations. In the first case, many of today’s viruses enable the windows proxy settings which prevent the computer from loading websites despite being connected to the internet. The remedy is to simply remove the proxy settings in the Internet Options window. In the case of old Norton installations, stopping Norton from running or failing to uninstall it properly will cause the software to block internet accessibility. Bypass this by downloading and running the Norton Removal Tool (which is much faster than uninstalling through windows anyway).

Laptop Screen Diagnostics. When a CCFL laptop screen goes dim, the culprit is usually the backlight of the screen module. Every now and then though it is the fault of the inverter. For years, I would try to carefully test the voltage of the inverter with a multimeter. This was not often successful. Sometimes there would be low voltage or no voltage at all even though the inverter was functional. You can easily determine if the inverter is working by taking a cracked screen and plugging it in to the inverter. When you boot up the laptop, the screen will light up even though it is cracked to reveal that the inverter is functioning properly.

Malware Removal. When you run msconfig to analyze the start-up items (Or tools like HijackThis), you’ll often see malware items in the user’s application data folder. However, you’ll be unable to view those files and delete them even if you edit folder options to view hidden files. The solution is to view SuperHiddenFiles by downloading a tool such as D7 (which is an amazing computer repair tool that every technician should have). If this is a client’s computer, remember to turn off the view hidden/superhidden files options to prevent user issues.
Do your own diagnostic. When a client comes in explaining in detail what’s wrong with their computer based on a third party diagnostic, it lures you into the trap of thinking that their analysis is accurate and that there aren’t other problems to be discovered. While I don’t suggest ignoring your clients completely, I certainly recommend doing your own evaluation every single time. This will save you money on ordering the wrong parts and time wasted on a misdiagnosis.

Finally, I would suggest that computer technicians create a thorough process for each type of repair that leaves the customer satisfied. Simple things at the end of a repair such as installing an anti virus and updating drivers will leave your clients far more satisfied than if they had to spend hours learning how to do those things on their own after paying you for your services.

About the author: Karim Salmi is the lead technician at VitalTech Computer Repair in Maryland and located in Rockville.

1. Install anti-virus

In a Linux based operating system, you do not necessarily need anti-virus software. In all other circumstances, you must have it installed on your system without fail. Keep the application updated for the latest threats that can affect your computer. Making use of the internet invariably constitutes a large part of our overall computer usage. Therefore, it is important that you protect your computer from unauthorized access, spyware and malware. Install appropriate internet security software, an anti-virus software and a firewall. A fact that deserves a mention here is that many spyware and malware applications gain access to computer systems masquerading as free anti-virus applications. Make sure you do not fall into such a trap.

2. Free resources only from trusted sources

Download a file to read or free trial software only from websites that are trusted. Once the download is complete, check the files using anti-virus software before opening. Quarantine the file if it is infected. Do not use executable files from unreliable resources.

3. Defragmentation and disk check

Disk check keeps a tab on errors in the disk and attends to them. Use it regularly. Disk defragmentation is needed to ensure that the performance of your computer does not suffer as you store more data on it. Defrag to get quicker access to data. The GUI interfaces in operating systems allow you to do all this at the click of a button.

4. Uninstall unused applications

The memory of your computer system is limited in size. Software that you install occupies a part of it. When a large chunk of the memory has been utilized, your system becomes slow. Uninstall applications that are of little use to you in order to free up the memory.

5. Avoid unknown applications

Using a computer and even repairing minor glitches associated with your computer is fairly easy once you get a hang of things. This takes time. Till then, it is important to treat your computer with the respect it deserves. There is a process for everything and if you do not know how to go about it, do not undertake it. Else, you will end up paying more for repairs.

Even when you try to handle some troubleshooting issues yourself by referring to information available over the web, make sure that you use information only from reliable resources. Following just about any piece of information may do you more harm than good.

Despite the fact that computers are being used in every domain and these simplify and streamline our work to a great extent, the fact remains that these are machines that need to be handled well for a longer life span that is not saddled with frequent visits by a computer repairs specialist.

About the author: Brianne is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on 3d laptop attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on cool flash drives.

Computers have helped to say normal people, and it is important to keep them healthy. There are a few tips and tricks that will keep you up to date and keep your computer at lightning fast speed. The longer you wait before doing these tips the harder it will be for to keep your computer clean. They’re going to want to try to do this as much as possible

The first thing you want to do is keep your computer free from spam files. These files are temporary Internet files, cookies, old cache files, and other various files. They sit on your computer and keep your computer slow and sluggish, making your Internet browsing a hassle, and causing your program start up speed to slow down. These files are hard to recognize if you do not know where they are, as they are hidden, but once you know how to clean them, is very easy to keep your computer quick. One of the programs you should be using is called CCleaner. CCleaner is a temporary Internet file cleaner and a junk cleaner.

You can download at http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner

CCleaner is one of the best computer repair tools on the market. Even people that run professional computer repair companies use this free program. To use it, open up, and browse to the main screen. The default settings are enough, there are two buttons to recognize: analyze, and run cleaner. The first one just runs through your computer and looks at all the files that it could clean. The second one actually runs through the end wipes out temporary internet files. You will not have to use the first one often, you’ll want to click run cleaner.

The second program the with the familiar with is a defragmentation program. Defragmenting the hard drive is important because it pulls all the hard drive sectors together and allows hard drive to run faster. Over time, hard drive stick clunky and slow. This happens from normal use. Defragmenting puts the sectors back together and makes it a lot faster.

For a quick overview on disk defragmentation check out my post here http://www.computerrepairsantaclarita.net/importance-of-defragmenting-the-hard-drive/

http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler/
or
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download/

Another program you’ll want is a antivirus program. There are few home on the market. One of them is called avast antivirus. The second one is called avira. The third one is called Microsoft security essentials. Installing one of these three programs and keeping it up-to-date will keep your computer and of optimal function at its best performance. Avira is more light-weight than AVG. MSE Is also lightweight. I recommend Avira over all three of them but AVG is just as or even more powerful, despite being a RAM hog. Installing and updating your virus definitions with one of these three programs is essential and very easy to do.

http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus
or
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials
or
http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

The final thing you want to do is clean up your browsing experience. The best program for Internet browsing is Google Chrome. It out beats Internet Explorer and Firefox speed. The best part about Google Chrome is its extensions, which you can download freely, that give chrome a bunch of new features, options, and customizations. Chrome extensions will keep your browsing experience awesome. You will want LastPass-Lastpass is a manager that keeps forms for you and saves your passwords. Every time you login to a website it will auto-fill the forms required to login. This saves tons of time. Another extension is called Stylish which is just for aesthetics. It changes up the way websites look and styles out your web pages.

Download lastpass to save you tons of frustration of re-logging in to your web pages. This will replace Google Chrome’s password manager. It also syncs between Chrome, Internet explorer, and Firefox. It is one of if not the best browser add-on available.

Stylish on the other hand is more for fun and functionality although it does great things to Youtube, Facebook, and other popular social media sites.

https://www.google.com/chrome
and
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions

Maintaining your computer is actually easy to do, as most highly impactful programs are free to use. I recommend keeping your computer by using these first three programs interchangeably to your best interest.

As always, please be careful when using the internet or downloading anything online, as it can potentially cause permanent damage to your computer through viruses and other malware. It is always important to keep safe practices with computer usage. Avoid certain websites and stick to the ones you know are good and safe.

I’m Ryan Bassett from Santa Clarita Computer Repair and I hope this blog post has benefited you.

Adding internal memory to your laptop can be difficult, as you’ll likely need to expose the motherboard in order to access additional memory sockets. If you choose this route, proceed with caution, as opening your computer to install memory risks damaging delicate electronic components and delivering a substantial electric shock to you if you aren’t properly grounded.

If you do decide to expand your computer’s memory in this way, be sure to remove your laptop’s battery before proceeding and consult your manual for the proper way to access these areas safely. Your manual will also tell you exactly how much internal memory can be added, based on the structure and design of your particular laptop. In some cases, you may even find that adding extra internal memory isn’t an option, based on the build of your laptop.

If you don’t feel confident in your computer skills – or if your laptop’s structure makes adding further internal memory impossible – consider adding an external memory instead. External hard drives can typically be installed by simply plugging in a cable and provide up to 1TB of extra data space to help meet your processing needs.

However, not all external hard drives are created equally. In order to choose the right hard drive for your needs, you’ll need to learn some terminology, including the following phrases which define the type of connection used to sync the external hard drive with your laptop computer:

eSATA – eSATA drives are the fastest external hard drives currently on the market. These devices transfer data at a rate of 157 MB/second, roughly four times faster than USB 2.0 devices.

FireWire (IEEE 1394) – When buying FireWire devices, you’ll see two different types – the newer FireWire 800 (also referred to as 1394b) and FireWire 400 (1394a). Both are slower in operation than eSATA drives (the FireWire 800 protocol achieves top transfer speeds of 100 MB/second), although the FireWire company promises that its next release could boost transfer speeds to nearly 800 MB/second.

USB 2.0 – Nearly every computer in production now has at least one USB 2.0 port, which makes USB 2.0 external hard drives the most widely purchased and used type of external memory. Unfortunately, though, these devices rank the slowest out of today’s most commonly purchased external hard drive formats, coming in at a lousy 57 MB/second.

With all this in mind, the logical next step would be to go out and buy the fastest eSATA external hard drive, right? Well – not so fast! Not all computers support eSATA or FireWire transfer protocols, which means that you’ll need to confirm exactly what types of external hard drives your laptop can handle before buying. Again, reference your manual for this information, or take your computer to a qualified retailer when you go to buy external hard drives.
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Novatech is a UK computer manufacturer and retailer that was founded with a simple ethic of supplying high quality products at the lowest possible prices with excellent customer service. The company holds true to that philosophy today and has now grown to be one of the UK’s most trusted technology companies.

Well with D7 you don’t have to look far for anything that you might want to do. Below is a “partial” list of what D7 can do:

• offline and live malware removal assistance via many internal and 3rd party tools
• automatic download/extraction of 3rd party tools on demand when missing
• repairing Windows after malware removals
• general PC maintenance
• offline and live registry editing with mass search & delete features
• offline and live data backup
• CPU/RAM stress testing
• information gathering and quality assurance uses
• OS Branding
• IP/DNS configuration + backup & restore
• shortcuts to frequently used Windows components
• quick access to frequently used Windows tweaks
• numerous right-click context menu (in Windows Explorer) features for working with files and directories
• wrappers / one-click execution options for frequently used command line tools
• synchronization of Malware Scan definition files
• automatic updates of all your favorite 3rd party tools via Ketarin
• offline application of password removal tricks enabling you to gain access to password protected live systems
  
  Now you can pretty much do everything from one central location. Want to do a system check..done, system repair…done, malware…done, and one of my favorites is the reports, the
  reporting tool built into it is “great”. There is a “free” version and a “branded” version. Do yourself a favor and pay for the branded version. One you can use your own logo etc but to me you are supporting a person in the industry that I can not even imagine how much time he has put into this project and continually updates it along with asking for feedback and recommendations. Like I said this is a “Must Have”!

  Check it out today: http://www.foolishit.com/

Information Technology has become a very integral part of all businesses today. Regardless of the industry that you are in, you can improve the performance of your business and employees through IT. The use of computers makes it easy for you to communicate with your suppliers and customers. In turn, this increases efficiency, saves time and helps you to identify areas where you can improve your productivity. Experiencing a downtime with your IT equipment can mean lost business and sales. Therefore, you must have a company that provides IT support in London on standby to ensure your business operations are not disrupted due to technology problems.

Choosing the Right IT Support Company in London
When you are looking for an IT Support London company, you have to consider a number of things. The right company should provide you with timely services at a reasonable price.

1. Cost
One of the most crucial things to consider is the cost. Find out what a company charges for its services. Usually, the cost is dependent on the number of IT equipment that have problems and the extent of the problems. For example, a printer hardware problem may cost less to get fixed than a server configuration problem. Before you hire a company that provides IT support in London, ask for a general quote to know the estimated cost of the services offered.

2. Training and Support
Apart from simply carrying out repairs and maintenance, the London IT support company should also offer training in using and troubleshooting some of the peripherals that employees are in contact with regularly. The training should usually be offered to the IT department of your business. For example, some problems may be caused by peripherals power cables that are not connected. With such a problem, work may stop at your business as you wait for the IT support company to come. This wastes time since you can easily fix such a problem on your own.

3. Flexibility
Look for a company that is flexible with service provision. IT related problems can occur at any time. When problems occur during the weekend, can the company come to fix them? Some companies will charge you more for weekend services while others will offer a flat rate for their services regardless of the day. You can decide whether to have a company that offers IT support in London as part of your outsourcing partners on a fixed-rate monthly payment or whether you will be paying only when you need specific services.

IT Support London

The magazine will be published monthly and contain content targeted to those in the Computer Repair Industry.

We wanted to create a publication that would highlight ways to better your business. We have included content on business in general, advertising, marketing and more. Each month will be unique content that hopefully you can take from it and implement into your current business model.

Keeping with the mindset we are in the technology industry we have created it as a “flip-magazine” for your reading. It also will be available in PDF format.

Some of the feedback we have received so far include:

“Really impressed, looks exceedingly professional. Not only is this a magazine I would pick up and read, but it’s good
enough to impress office staff and even clients – leave it on the lobby coffee table when I’m through reading!”

“Wow, it’s really impressive. What I think is, this is a really cool idea and will be of great benefit to owners.”

“Fantastic magazine, love the content”

Flip-Magazine Issue:
http://issuu.com/acrbo/docs/acrbojanmag?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

PDF Version:
acrbo.com/magazine/AcrboJanMag.pdf

The Internet Essentials Program has fixed monthly prices and any school child that receives free lunches, as part of the National School Lunch Program, could be eligible, because this is the group with which Comcast is partnering for the project. Comcast advertises that when you sign up to this package, you can be sure that there will be no price hikes to the monthly cost. There are also no fees to pay for line activation or equipment rental, which means all of the hidden costs associated with web access are being eliminated.

As well as giving users an affordable route to get online, the people who take advantage of the Internet Essentials Program will receive a voucher that makes them eligible to purchase a modern computer at a price point that is lower than its typical retail value. The final facet of these Comcast internet plans is that participants can get internet training, free of charge, in whatever form they choose. This can include real world workshops, printed pamphlets or online instructions, resulting in the full benefits of the internet.

The features of the Internet Essentials Program address a trio of problems that researchers identified as preventing low-income households from getting online. As well as monthly cost, it was discovered that a lack of basic understanding of the web and even a computer to use in conjunction with a broadband connection, were to blame for the growing digital divide between affluent and poor children.

The latest statistics show that 55 percent of households, where the yearly income is under $30K, do not currently have access to the internet at home. Analysts predict that a further 3,000 places in employment would be found if there is a single percentage point increase in the rate at which high speed broadband is adopted in the U.S. That is why initiatives like the Internet Essentials Program are so important from an economic point of view.

Whilst more and more services becoming available online is good for those with easy access, this can leave the people that lack such connectivity far behind the curve. Cheap online shopping, free educational tools, up to date news outlets, the latest entertainment and many financial services all exist on the internet, but if only a certain proportion of the population can access them, it is clear how this could be perceived as unfair. The internet is becoming a human right, not a privilege, so any steps that go towards making it available to all are to be applauded.

Comcast initially begun offering the Internet Essentials Program to people located within the Chicago area but it has since rolled out the service to anywhere that its cable networks currently cover. You could be connected within a week if you are eligible, so get in touch as soon as possible.

About Author :
Eva K is an expert in internet and has an in depth knowledge about the latest features and updates in this field. She provides informative article to her readers about Comcast internet plans.

So you are probably thinking “Ok, not sure how to go about even learning this Linux”….You are in luck and that is because of Steve Mclaughlin who has put together a package called “Linux For The Rest Of Us” and it’s on video.

Some of the things you are going to learn are:

- How to install Linux in easy steps
- All the basics of Linux to get you going.
- How use Linux to recover data on Windows machines
- How to customize and transform your desktop into nearly anything imaginable
- How to create movies, CD/DVDs, audio files, etc…
- How to open/edit/create Microsoft Office documents without paying for Microsoft Office
- Using Linux in a virtual machine
- How to remove viruses with Linux…and tons more!

This is a must have, easy to learn, packaged package…Not only that but Steve is more than happy to answer and and all questions about Linux. This is a guy who really gets it, not only in using Linux but how to convey it to others in an easy learning environment.

I have went through these videos and am a novice at best when it comes to Linux. I could not say enough positive things about this package.

Pick it up for the holidays and claim it as a business expense More and more people are starting to use Linux on a daily basis…Don’t be left behind!

Get it now: Linux For The Rest Of Us 

Like most businesses you might have opened your business as doing computer repair which really consisted of working on home users computers and doing the basics such as virus removal, upgrades, wireless router setup and the other basics. Or maybe you have ventured further into the industry and started offering support to businesses.

With technology always changing you are sooner or later going to probably have to change your business model up a bit or you are going to find that the industry has surpassed your business.

Some things your business can be offering:

Residential repair
Business repair
Phone repair (i.e. iphone/android)
Home audio/visual
Remote repairs
Websites
Mobile websites
Search engine optimization
Advertising

I know it seems like a pretty extensive list and it is. The reason for this is I believe in the “full service” concept. I do not believe that you stretch yourself thin by doing all of these things. If there are some things that you just don’t do or don’t feel comfortable with then you need to find someone to do that part of the work for you. I don’t mean to refer them out, I mean to have them work as a sub-contractor to you.

We graduated from home repair rather quick in our business model when we realized that customer want “more”. With that mindset we branched out and started offering pretty much all the services that our customers were looking for.
If you follow technology trends at all then you will see that the simple break/fix is not going to last. Now to many people have phones they rely on, laptops, iPads, cloud computing and everything else.

Now if we walk into a business we can work on their pc’s, servers, entire network, website, do optimization if needed and we provide local area advertising. All-In-One is the way I look at it. The customer has no reason to go anywhere else then us for all their needs.

Not only can you now provide all services that your customers are looking for but if they know you can provide all these things it’s very easy for them to refer you to anyone based on knowing that you can pretty much do it all.

If you are organized and know how to properly allocate your time then you can achieve adding the above services into your business model. If you are not organized then you might want to work on that prior to bringing new services into your business.

Dan
http://www.cmonova.com/