PC Repair Blog

Buying a Notebook for College

dan — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:32:44 +0000

Buying A Notebook For College

Every year, before schools and college institutions begin their classes, students from around the country visit department stores and major electronics chains in an effort to get all those necessities that will allow them to complete successfully their studies. So, if you have recently been accepted to college and you are not exactly sure which your computing needs will be, buying a notebook computer is not a luxury purchase, but actually a necessity. In fact, anyone who has to cover frequent travel concerns, from college students to frequent business travelers, should possess a laptop, given the fact that it provides a mobile and light-weight computing experience for computer users around the world.

Recent research indicates that laptops are in fact used extensively as people need to own computer systems that are as mobile as they are. Buying an effective machine that can also be easy to carry around has increased considerably the laptop sales over the last decade, considering the lower manufacturer and assembly costs. Deals between hardware developers and software engineers have resulted in improved notebook systems that incorporate the ability of them being transferred easily from one place to another, as well as being able to compute much more than the main software functions, like reading and composing emails, operating spreadsheets, or using word processing applications. In fact, whether one needs to take work from one office location to another or do some work while onboard, today’s laptops can accomplish almost any task.

But if you are still contemplating on whether or not you actually do need a laptop to perform your computer-related college work, it is useful to consider the vast capabilities of these travel-ready devices as well as your current needs and ability to operate them. Owning a highly portable workstation can provide you with entertainment, productivity and ease of use. Forget about long messy cords and mouse pads. Easy to navigate by just using your fingers, today’s laptop models need no more than their rechargeable batteries or just an outlet to connect to their AC adapter and you are good to go.

Listening to music, playing games, watching videos, or writing a paper has never been easier. Laptop computers allow college students to manage their daily busy schedules instead of loosing time and effort. Some models offer screens that are only visible to the person that seats directly across them, eliminating the chances of one being able to visibly access your files and folders. Headphones and microphones, as used with desktop publishers are used to provide an efficient but considerate experience. Keep in mind that most of the available models come with software applications already in place making Internet browsing or working on a project a simple and easy process of starting up the machine. Finally, since laptop computers have become a mainstream device, many affordable models are offered in electronic superstores or are available to be ordered directly from the laptops manufacturers’ websites.

By Jonathon Hardcastle

Source: LiveWebArticles

Learn How To Stay Away From The Various Computer Problems

dan — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:15:38 +0000

Computer troubleshooting is a way through which the problems that are faced by the computers are solved. It is the systematic way to search out the problem, and then solve it. It is usually a process through which we can eliminate the problems. There are various ways through which you can keep distance with the problems that are faced by our personal computer, with some of the basic tips you can fix the computer problems yourself at home. The various steps that will guide you through solving your problems are given below.

As soon as you find a problem in your PC, do not panic. Rebooting is the first step of computer troubleshooting. If strange errors are seen on the screen of your computer, restarting it can often eliminate some of the problems. When the computer is restarted many things can happen, and all the memory that the computer is using will be released. The other reason why you should reboot is that, it is one of the most common and first step to begin with dealing the problem. All the problems can be solved somehow through restarting, even the Internet connections can be solved through rebooting.

Try to track down the technical problems on your computer and that can give you the most frustrating experience of your life, since the computer is the only device that helps you to sort out all your work loads and save all the files and data. Most problems of the computer are the result of the software related issues that generally arises if your PC is connected to the Internet. Problems such as, program lock up, printers that stop printing, Operating system that store booting, and lots other problems are the common problems that every one faces every now and then. So the best way to solve all these problems is to take initiatives and give safe guard to your personal computer.

The first initiative that you can take to keep your computer safe from the various troubles is that, know the basic troubleshooting, and that can be available to you through the Internet. There are various suites where they provide you with the various tips and advice of solving the problems at home. Secondly, if you have Internet connection in your PC, do not forget to provide it with well equipped anti-viruses and firewall. Most of the viruses are spread through the Spam mails that are often found in your inbox. Avoid viewing the e-mails if you are not well known to the senders, it is better if you do not open the e-mail.

By keeping these initiatives in mind, you can, to a great extent, keep your PC safe from the unwanted troubles. Even the utilities that promise to solve the problems are not totally compatible; instead they may give rise to their own problems. That is the reason why the computer troubleshooting software are not regarded as so reliable. The best way is to keep calm and use you head, so that you can get through lot of tough situations on your own.

Author: Victor Epand
Source: LiveWebArticles

Nine Rules for Avoiding Computer Viruses

dan — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:53:18 +0000

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about computer viruses, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about computer viruses.

A virus is a program - a piece of executable code - that has the possibly of cloning itself. Computer viruses can spread fast and they are hard to eradicate. They can be attached to any type of file and they are spread as files copied and sent from person to person. They can be contacted from a floppy disk or Cd, they can be launched when opening a program or accessing a file, any file, or they can be brought from the internet by downloading a file or accessing a web page and as attachments to e-mails.

Besides replication, some viruses have something else in common: their infecting routine. The behaviors of viruses vary from showing messages or images to destroying files, formatting the hard disk drive and other severe damage. If the virus does not inflict damage it can still cause problems by taking up space and memory, lowering the performances of the computer.

Nine rules for avoiding computer viruses would be:

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

1. Use an anti virus program at all times.
2. Install and keep active a firewall.
3. Make sure your system is up-to-date with all the existent updates.
4. Keep your browsers security settings at maximum.
5. Never click yes when your browser asks you if you want to install or open some content coming from an organization you don’t know or don’t trust.
6. Install an anti-spy ware program to enlarge the protection.
7. Never install a browser help or search bar accepting the times it comes from a reliable source.
8. Use a different credit card for online shopping.
9. Don’t click on email attachments that are executable files even if they look as if sent from known persons.

The antivirus programs have a big role in providing your computers security and protecting it from viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other “invaders” that can attack a computer. The role of an antivirus program is to detect the presence of viruses in a computer, to disinfect the files or delete the ones that can’t be disinfected and prevent the contamination of the computer.

Most of the companies that produce antivirus have online free tools for scanning computers for viruses. If you don’t have an antivirus yet and can’t decide which one to buy you can enter their online sites and try the services for free, then decide what to use.

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest computer virus news.

Author: By Hans Hasselfors
Source: LiveWebArticles

Spam Blockers When You Need Them Most

dan — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:27:50 +0000

Whether you are a business user or a home user the one thing which bothers you most and keep filling your inbox are loads of spam you get everyday. And sometimes whatever methods you apply there seems no end to the flow of spam which keeps finding its way to your mailbox.

In such scenario using a spam filter or spam blocker is the best remedy. But those who have used such tools will agree that the good ones are really complicated whereas the simple ones are more or less useless against the always upgrading spam technique.

In such cases what should be the option. Getting a perfect spam guard or filter is asking for heaven without attending a mass. And actually you have to start early before you get yourself a filter to protect your mailbox from unwanted mails. So what are the beginners’ methods to spare mailbox from such mails.

First you shouldn’t give or avoid giving your e-mail address to online advertisements.

Secondly don’t publish your e-mail on internet until absolutely necessary. Spiders or other such tools frequently used by the spammers often take your e-mail address from the published locations.

Thirdly if you are using a company mail get your mail server the required firewalls which will cut the spam inflow to some extent. Using such steps it would be easy for you to cut off the spam flow to some extent. There are three basic types of traditional anti-spam software.

1) Plug-ins for email clients. These anti-spam programs run on your computer and require all received spam to be downloaded before they start sorting it.

2) Standalone applications. These spam blockers also run on your computer and communicate with the email server multiple times each hour to check your POP mailbox for spam and delete it. They constantly run in the background, using up resources and bandwidth.

3) Server-side email spam filters. Many ISPs and email servers (HotMail, Yahoo! Mail, etc. ) have installed email filtering software that scans email for certain triggers, which may include certain phrases, formatting, and aggressive writing styles. However, many unfair marketers have learned to fool spam filters, while a lot of legitimate emails are blocked by them.

Now you are ready to get rid of the remaining spam. And the ultimate answer is getting a spam filter. Look for the following benefits in a good anti spam software or a typical spam filter.

It should delete unwanted e-mails before you download the whole message. You’ll be able to see who the email is from, the subject, and the attachment. This will enable you to decide if you want to delete the email or keep it. A great way to stop viruses or large attachments.

Blacklist. Any e-mails you bounce back get their senders details put on the blacklist for easy removal if they come back. You can even set it to automatically bounce and delete blacklisted e-mails, or whole domains off the server.

Preview. Easily preview the message in your email to see what the sender has to say before downloading it.
Bounce back unwanted e-mails so it looks as if your email address is not valid. This will make the sender think your address is no longer active so your name can be removed from their list. This unique feature is great for privacy and it couldn’t be simpler!

Filtering. Effective filtering to automatically spot spam, plus it uses a customizable list of blacklisted e-mail senders and/or regular expressions to filter out potential spammer addresses and messages.

Fast download of message headers, we have clocked speeds of 25 email message headers per second.

Simplicity. No flashy gimmicks, so easy to use that you won’t feel like you have to learn a whole new program. In fact it has the familiar look and feel of Outlook Express. It’s as easy as 1,2,3. Just check mail, mark for deletion/learning, then process mail.

Some of the recommended spam filters are MailWasher Pro 5.3, OnlyMyEmail, Cloudmark Desktop 4.7/2.12, Spam Bully, ChoiceMail One 3.1, Allume SpamCatcher 4.0, Spam Arrest etc.

Author: Christa Kowalczyk

Source: LiveWebArticles

9 Warning Signs You Might Be Infected With Spyware and/or Adware

dan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:56:13 +0000

FACT: Chances are your machine is hosting spyware. There are currently over 78,000 Spyware and Adware programs on the Internet that can affect your PC.

Here are 9 warning signs you should be aware of, if any of them pertain to you then your PC is most likely infected:

If you start you Internet browser and the homepage that pops up is not the one that has been set by you. You then change it back to what you want and then it goes back to something you didn’t set again. This is one of the more common features and ways to tell that you have been taken over by some sort of spyware and that you should rid your system of it immediately.

If you get pop-ups that have been personalized with your name on them or you begin to receive pop up ads while you are not even connected to the Internet or don’t have a browser open. This is one of the more annoying ways that your system will let you know that you have something other than normal operating in your system.

You start receiving very expensive phone bills that have you placing many calls to 900 numbers that you never heard and ones that have hefty per-minute rates. Spyware takes over your phone line due to the connection that you have in conjunction with that phone service, whether dial-up or broadband.

You enter a searchable item into your required Internet toolbar or address bar and then all of sudden an unapproved searching system handles your search. More infamous items are infected with stuff such as Mysearch Bar and other spyware type search engines that only take you to their approved sites.

Another sure fire way to know that you have spyware operating on your system is that you have view your favorites list and you have favorite sites in their that you did not put in yourself and have found that other sites you put there are no longer found. You delete these items but they always show up again in your favorites.

Your system begins to run slower than normal. If you are a updated Windows OS user you pull up your task manager system information screen and see that your system is running at 100%, then you are infected with spyware because your system always needs a little free space in order to process information, which is why your system slows down when you have spyware on it.

At a time when you are not doing anything online, the send or receive lights on your dial-up or broadband modem blink just as wildly and lively as when you are online downloading a file or surfing the Internet. Also, your network icon on your screen will be flashing rapidly showing you that you are working on receiving and sending information from your system at a very rapid rate. This is the job of spyware here to send and receive information to your system without telling you.

A search toolbar or other browser toolbar appears even though you didn’t request it or install it. Your attempts to remove it fail, or it comes back after removal. Parts of spyware registry files hide themselves in your system under aliases and unless you find all of them and remove them, then they will never leave your system, causing them to show up over and over again.

And the final sign is: Everything appears to be running normal but the most deceptive and devious spyware leaves no tracking information for you to find it anyway. This is the sure way to get you to check your system on a routine and regular basis so that you are sure you have no signs of an infection.

Author: By Andrew Wroblewski
Source: LiveWebArticles

What Would The Internet Be Without Search Engines?

dan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:46:09 +0000

Search engines have been around for almost as long as computers have been able to store large amounts of data. From their first days when they were sifting through large local archives, to their current ability to sift through the entire internet in seconds, search engines have shaped our computer using habits. Search engines and their popularity have many different implications for both the home user and for internet commerce in general. Here, I will discuss the search engine’s effect on both of these areas.

For the average person, the most noticeable change from search engines has been on regular browsing habits. If you began using the internet after the modern conveniences were invented, then it may be hard for you to imagine what it was like before search engines abounded. If you wanted to find a site, you had to know the exact address, and punch it in correctly. If you want to do research on trees, the internet might not be the best place to go unless you know of any good tree sites. But now, that has all changed. To do research on trees, you can jump on your favorite search engine and immediately get hundreds of thousands of results. Where the internet used to be a tangled web, it is now sorted and organized to achieve the best results for the user.

These engines don’t just make it easier to research. They give the users many other benefits. Since the search engines trawl through the whole internet regularly, they have all of the latest prices and deals on internet shopping. You can take advantage of this on search engines that specialize in products, combining info like prices and reviews from many different places. This is just one of the many ways that search engines pervasiveness can have a positive impact on the things we do on a day to day basis.

Other ways include online phone and business directories, records databases.

A major impact of search engines has been on internet commerce. Nowadays, internet marketing doesn’t focus on who has the flashiest web site or who has the best prices. Instead, if you are at the top of all of the major search engines (meaning that your site is displayed above the rest when the user searches for a relevant keyword) then you are almost sure to beat out your opponents. So, marketing companies do their best to crack the search algorithms. Every search engine judges sites based on many different factors, each of which is analyzed by their web crawlers. When someone makes a search, the engine displays sites that fulfill more of the factors at the top, where the user is more likely to see them.

The many factors that search engines use to judge sites include the text on the site, the design, the originality of the content, how many other pages link to that site, how many of those links are one-way, and many other factors. People who work in search engine optimization (or SEO) have a detailed understanding of all of the most important factors, and do their best to adjust the client’s website to fulfill more of them. If they succeed, then the web site will show up at the top of the search results, and the client will immediately see an increase in sales. If not, they’ll stay in the lower ranks of the search, and probably never be seen by potential visitors. It has become a cutthroat industry, with hundreds of sites competing for the top ranking in popular keywords such as insurance and casinos.

For the average person that does research on the internet, shops on the internet, and finds entertainment on the internet, life is a lot different with search engines. They are great for providing instant results no matter what you want, and they are also a proponent for the hugely flourishing internet economy of today.

Author: By Adrian Adams
Source: LiveWebArticles

WeFixYou

dan — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:35:02 +0000

New Nationwide Service Provider Directory at WeFixYou .
Looking for service in your area? If so check out WeFixYou and you
will find thousands of providers. Best of all you can search all you want and it’s “free”.

Check out WeFixYou today

New Year Getting Ready

dan — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:11:17 +0000

It’s almost the end of the year and that means you need to be prepared to start off the new year strong.

If you have been in business awhile you need to get out your “business plan” and see where you stand. Update it, make changes to it but use it to your advantage.

Some of the things you need to look over are:

1. Marketing - Where did I spend marketing dollars? What kind of marketing worked for me? Where do I want to concentrate my marketing for the new year.

2. Customers - Did I take care of all my customers? Did I follow up with my customers like I should of?

3. Technology - Have I kept up with technology? Have I read all I should have to stay current in the changing market?

4. Future - What are my goals for the new year? What do I want to accomplish? Am I on track according to my business plan for projected earnings.

Don’t wait until the new year to find out what you want to accomplish. Take a bit of time and go over the things now in order to prepare for the future.

Dan

www.cmonova.com

Computer Medics of Northern Virginia
“Author” Computer Repair Business Lessons Learned

Hackers and China… Its whats for Business!

Artie — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:43:02 +0000

I’ve always been fascinated about the world of IT Security.

On a daily basis I log into customers PC’s remotely to install updates, fix problems, help with email issues etc etc…

But for someone, a criminal, to be able to gain ” root level ” ( like that unix term? i did it just for you geeks ) access to a PC is really a heinous act all to itself.

More and more our entire lives are going online, i for one base all my work email on Google’s GMail software. Google now has complete control over my life, and if its not working….. well its not a pretty site around the office let me tell you.

So ok end the rant… Whos the #1, head honco, the Goldfinger to the USA’s James Bond?

Ladies and Gentleman! I give you….. THE U S S R….. I mean China… yes China.

They are numero uno! Just do a quick search on Google ( i know they own my life ) for:

” China Internet Attacks ” Heres a great little article on it [SperoNews]

In 2007 almost 13,000 ” direct assaults on federal agencies and more than 80,000 attempted attacks on Department of Defense computer network systems.”

WHOOAA…. Hello.

Now i know i know, people dont want to look at China as the next Cold War Competitor…. But trust me they are already looking at us. Now of course all of those 93,000 Plus attacks cant all be from China…. But lets say HALF of them are.

China is in a love / hate relationship with us. Most of the money in their Economy comes from Western buyers ( half the equipment your reading this blog on comes from China!! )

But at the same time, we are the worlds number 1 super power and China knows that in the secert battle over the hearts and minds of counties around the world, its the USA vs. Red China.

Now China is coming on board more and more with Western Ideals, but make no mistake that the communists will only let Western ideals of a Free Market go so far. And they are making sure that their Computer Hackers are razor sharp in case some kinda conflict does occur.

But hey, lets all remember…. Hackers keep PC Techs like me in business, so really we kinda dont mind the occasional virus or trojan taking over peoples PCs now do we.

Original Posting
The Electric Pulse IT Blog
http://gcsincblog.blogspot.com/

Technology Tops 2007 List for Most Memorable New Products

dan — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:11:40 +0000

How many of these items do you have?

[PRWeb]

iPhone^TMFinishes on Top; Oreo^® and Healthy Products Dominate Top 10

BOSTON (Business Wire EON) December 18, 2007 — Products featuring new technologies dazzled mainstream consumers in 2007 with the Apple iPhone^TM topping the list of the Sixth Annual Most Memorable New Product Launch (MMNPL) Survey. Thirty seven percent of consumers named the iPhone the most memorable new product launch, while two other high-tech products —Windows Vista^® at No. 2 and Motorola Razr2^TM at No. 9 — made the Top 10. Additionally, the iPod^® video nano came in at No. 11.

The study, sponsored by Schneider Associates, BNP Media’s New Products Magazine and IRI and conducted by comScore, surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers about the most memorable new product launches of the year, current purchasing and behavioral trends.

Nabisco had a great year with its Oreo brand as Domino’s Oreo Dessert Pizza finished at No. 4 and Oreo Cakesters came in at No. 6. Oreo has a long list of co-branding projects, with past partnerships with T.G.I. Friday’s (Oreo Madness), Burger King (Oreo Sundae Shake) and most recently with Baskin-Robbins (Oreo Explosion). This year, strong marketing support of both products, including the popular “Domino’s Oreo Pizza Moustache” ad campaign directed by the Perlorian Brothers, gave Oreo two of the most memorable launches of the year.

“These Oreo branded products aren’t mere line extensions. They are great examples of incorporating long-adored products into innovative new platforms,” said Joan Holleran Driggs, editor of New Products Magazine. “As an ingredient in everything from ice cream to pizza, Oreo cookies have found a home in a broad array of product categories. Every marketer should embrace such strategic thinking.”

An interesting trend arose from this year’s list with three “health-on-the-go” products making the Top 10: alli^TM Weight Loss Capsules at No. 5, Diet Coke Plus^TM at No. 7 and Subway Fresh Fit^TM Meals at No. 8. Subway continued building its brand with a stunning 90 percent of respondents saying that whether a product is “fresh” has at least some influence on their purchase decision. Seventy eight percent of consumers polled said they look for “whole grains” and 75 percent look for “no trans fat.”

“Consumers are continuing their quest for healthy alternatives,” said Char Partelow, Senior Vice President of Consumer and Shopper Insights at IRI. “Even outside of the top 10, two of the products with the highest awareness among respondents were Dannon Danactive Yogurt Drinks and Hostess 100 Calorie Cupcake and Brownies, reinforcing consumer’s unwavering focus on better-for-you products.”

Recall of new products remained low this year as 77 percent of respondents failed to name a single product in the Top 50 new products launched in 2007, including the iPhone. This is just a slight change from the five-year all-time high of 81 percent who couldn’t recall a product on the Top 50 list in 2006.

“It has become increasingly difficult to launch new products and services that really capture consumers’ attention,” said Joan Schneider, president of Schneider Associates, a Boston-based marketing communications firm, and author of “New Product Launch: 10 Proven Strategies.” “Even with the stunning success of the iPhone, recall is still remarkably low.”

New Product Trends for 2007

The 2007 Schneider Associates, New Products Magazine and IRI Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey asked consumers which trends influenced their purchases most. Seventy four percent said they were more likely to purchase a product if it was “Made in the USA.” Additionally, 67 percent said their purchasing decisions were influenced by the country of origin, perhaps indicating a backlash from the recalls of toys manufactured in China due to concerns over lead paint poisoning.

While the iPhone dominated memorability, just 1 percent of Americans surveyed said it was a “must have” item for this holiday season. Nevertheless, high-tech products still commanded top spots on holiday wish lists. Thirty one percent of all respondents wanted some kind of technology or consumer electronics product, with 9 percent reporting they wanted a flat screen, HDTV/LCD or plasma TV and 6 percent saying they wanted a Nintendo Wii^TM (which was No. 2 on last year’s Most Memorable New Product Launch list).

Top 10 Most Memorable New Product Launches 2007

Based on the feedback of 1,024 consumers nationwide, here is the complete Top 10 list, with percentage of respondents who listed the product launch as one they most remember in 2007:

1.) Apple iPhone^TM (37 percent)

2.) Microsoft Windows Vista^® (26 percent)

3.) Febreze^® Candles (14 percent)

4.) Domino’s Oreo^® Dessert Pizza (10 percent)

5.) alli^TM Weight Loss Capsules (10 percent)

6.) Oreo^® Cakesters (10 percent)

7.) Diet Coke Plus^TM (9 percent)

8.) Subway Fresh Fit^TM Meals (8 percent)

9.) Motorola Razr2^TM (8 percent)

10.) Listerine Whitening^® Quick Dissolving Strips (7 percent)

Survey Partners

Schneider Associates is a full-service marketing communications agency that launches products, services, companies and communities. www.schneiderpr.com and www.launchpr.com

BNP Media’s New Products Magazine is devoted to providing information on new food and beverage products from concept to consumer. www.newproductsonline.com

Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) is a global leader in providing consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights supporting 95 percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and healthcare companies. www.infores.com

comScore is a market research firm and global Internet information provider that measures the digital age. www.comscore.com

The Annual Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey identifies which product launches are most memorable to consumers each year. Now in its sixth year, the survey was based on feedback from 1,024 respondents aged 18 or older and was conducted online in the United States during November 2007 by comScore. The complete survey results can be downloaded at schneiderpr.com/news.