Online PC Repair Resource Kit

Entries from May 2009

Pc Optimization

May 29, 2009 · 1 Comment

Pc Optimization

Computer performance is major part of computer users everyone wants that his computer works faster but
nobody work on that we can improve performance of our computer for using some steps to fast our pc
you need to do some simple computer maintenance on a daily basis, and you can avoid most of the
headaches that come from using a computer.Just as you need to exercise, your computer also needs
workout everyday.  You exercise your computer by cleaning it of extra files and data daily.

1. Set your anti-virus software checker to update itself automatically. This way, it is always updated with

the latest protection.
2. If you download any files through email or just from browsing the internet, scan this item before you open

it with your anti-virus software.
3. Use your registry repair software to scan your computer once a week.
4. Never open any attachments in emails from people you do not know. Especially if the file is a .exe file.

This is an executable file, and can launch all sorts of viruses.
5. Do not open any attachments even from people you do know, if you are not expecting anything from them..
6. Do not download free music on the Internet – these free sites are always infected. If you do, run a virus

scan, as well as your registry repair, and even the anti-spyware software.
7. As with the above statement, do not download any free games from the Internet.
8. Steer clear from adult sites, as they are particularly prone to viruses. .
9. Even though you get statements and fill forms out electronically, print out contracts, payment forms,

agreements and all legal documents and file them away in a ring-binder.
10. Be extremely careful if you do anything with your finances, payment details, payment processor passwords,

credit card details, etc. on your computer. A hacker could easily access all these details, if they are

anywhere on your computer.

If you can follow the 14 tips for pc optimization listed above, you will be better off than probably 99% of

the population. Just by using your anti-virus software, your anti-spyware software, and your registry repair

software, you can keep your computer running at optimal speed, and keep the errors and problems to a minimum.

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Computer Repair – What You Need to Know

May 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Has your computer been testing your patience for a long time? Picture this: you’re in the middle of emailing a crucial report to your boss when suddenly, your computer freezes and doesn’t respond to your desperate mouse clicks. Or it restarts every now and then, and you wonder why it happens all the time. Don’t lose your cool-having your computer repaired can still revive the operation of your machine. If your computer is acting up, don’t ignore the symptoms, either. Computer repair should be done as early as possible to prevent further troubles.

It’s interesting to note that many people own computers but only a few of them know how to fix computer problems. Usually, computer owners seek the help of computer technicians to correct or solve the problem. That’s why computers repair shops proliferate everyday and make lots of money from their customers.

If you’re looking for a computer technician, you can find many business cards and fliers that advertise pc repair services. It’d be better if you take your computer to a small repair shop in your locality because its services are less expensive than that of large PC repair shops.

It’s not enough to rely solely on the expertise of the person you hired to repair your computer. Try to keep yourself informed about computers so that you won’t be deceived by unscrupulous technicians. Also, make sure that the technician you hire is competent and skilled enough. A good repair person can accurately diagnose the problem of your computer and provide a reasonable estimate of cost and repair time.

Always make sure the amount that repair shops charge you is fair. If you think the cost of repairing your pc is expensive, you can request for a detailed description of the tasks that were done and the price of each. If you’re still not convinced, then you can try negotiating the price. Asking the repair shop to lower their charge can pay off in some instances.

Besides repair shops, you can also try to avail of a remote pc repair service. This service works by using remote screen sharing software to connect your computer to the repair company. The company then solves your computer problems from its office.

Better yet, you can learn how to fix computer on your own. A lot of do-it-yourself computer repair books are available. You can use these resources gain knowledge about mending simple computer errors. This way, you can save more money as you no longer have to spend it for PC repairs.

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Computer Repair Checklist

May 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Five years ago, consumers having computer problems were more likely to go out and purchase a new PC or laptop rather than seek out a computer repair service to fix the issue. Times have changed. Consumers either don’t have the extra cash they once did for upgrading computer systems or they are leery of their own financial future and therefore are holding onto extra cash until times are better.

This has resulted in a surge in work for computer repair shops.

This also has resulted in a surge of phone calls and home visits with computer users who believe they have a major computer problem but really have simple, easily overlooked issues that they can fix themselves.

Before calling a local computer repair expert, it is a good idea to ensure your computer’s problem isn’t caused by an overlooked user error. So many laptop and PC owners forget to do some initial assessing before calling in reinforcements.

A few things to check before you call in a computer IT professional are provided as a helpful checklist to computer users everywhere:

- Power Source: Did your laptop or PC shut down or turned itself off? If you’re using a laptop, the battery may have died and simply needs to be recharged. If you have a desktop, you may have accidently kicked out the power cord. Check all cords to make sure they are properly connected and try to start your computer.

- Reboot: Is your computer frozen or not allowing you to run certain programs? Try restarting (rebooting) it. If you can’t reboot from the desktop, look for a restart button on the computer, usually located on the sides, above the keyword or in the back. NOTE: you may lose your most recently entered data if you force a reboot; it pays to save often.

- Virus Check: Are your browsers or software programs turning themselves on and off randomly? This could indicate a spyware or virus problem. Run a virus check on your operating system using anti-virus software (several options are available to home and office users).

- Slow Performance: Is your system simply running poorly? Consider updating your software applications. Old programs can cause your entire system to run slow. Most operating systems when connected to the internet will send you notices when a new software update is available. If that isn’t the case for your computer, you can go to a software company’s website and download updates from there. If you don’t have internet access, you will need to go to a computer supply store and buy software update packages in person.

- Slower Performance: Are you still experiencing slow performance? You may need to evaluate your system and do some clean-up. If you have a lot of large data files like pictures, music, or videos, they could be sucking up your computer’s memory and slowing up the overall process. Erasing old files you don’t need any more or saving them to an external hard drive will bring your computer back up to speed. If you have a lot of programs installed on your laptop that you don’t need, remove them also to free up disk space and allow your system to run more smoothly.

If you’ve gone through this checklist and continue to have problems, then pick up the phone and call an IT help desk or computer repair service. Some IT services will even provide a free consultation visit to evaluate the problem before they commit to making any fixes. In this way, you can avoid any fees should the problem be something simple that you may have overlooked.

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How to Combat Viruses to Reduce Computer Repair Cost

May 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Malware (Viruses, Spyware, Adware) has evolved over the years from an amateur hobby to a professional profitable business focused on fraud and theft. In 2008, 83 million identities were exposed according to PrivacyRights.org.  The amount of malicious code created in 2008 rose to 1.6 million, a 460% increase from 2007 according to Symantec. The makers of malware have developed aggressive strategies to invade your systems leading to costly computer repair services or data corruption.

Below are four different methods to keep malicious code from infecting your computers and network.

Deep packet inspection w/ firewall – According to Symantec, by the end of 2008 over 5,000 websites per day were created with malicious content which can be installed on computers without any user intervention. Deep packet inspection defends your network against these attacks and others by dissecting and examining data packets as they travel through your network. During examination, the content inside the packet is scanned for malicious content and information is extracted, such as the computer it’s destined for and where it originated from. This is helpful because malicious content will be blocked and reports will inform you of which computers are requesting unauthorized content.

Sonicwall’s TZ models will work for small businesses.

Managed Email Monitoring – 1 out of 140 emails have malicious content, and 80% of email is considered spam according to Symantec. Managed email service providers eliminate 99% of spam and malicious threats. Managed email services filter mail for all email accounts and eliminate virtually all threats.

MXLogic will work for small businesses.

Corporate AntiVirus Software – Antivirus programs protect from costly computer repair created by malicious content that may have slipped through the network or loaded from some type of media (cd, flash drive, floppy, etc.). Most business owners understand the importance of installing antivirus software but don’t understand the importance of purchasing the corporate edition as opposed to the store bought home version. The corporate version is preferred because it uses less computer resources, provides a centralized location to mange antivirus applications installed on workstations, reports intrusions, downloads and pushes virus definitions to workstations, and manages license renewal.

Norton 11.0 will work for small businesses.

Employee policies – The best defense won’t work if you take the enemies’ hands and lead them to your command center and give them complete access. Setting clear guidelines for Internet and computer usage is critical to keeping malicious content off your computers. Windows group policies can be used to stop users from breaking computer policies, and deep packet inspection can be used to stop users from breaking Internet policies.

The best way to counter malware is to take an aggressive, proactive approach. Viruses will attempt to penetrate your computers and network. Will you be ready?

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How To Open An EPS (encapsulated postscript) File

May 14, 2009 · Leave a Comment

EPS, or encapsulated postscript, is a format for vector graphics based on the Adobe postscript standard.  EPS files are often used for figures and illustrations in books, magazines, and articles, although they can be used for pretty much any type of graphics.  Depending on what you need to do with your EPS file, you may need different types of software.

Viewing EPS Files
Viewing EPS files is pretty easy.  If you have a Windows or Mac computer, you probably already have at least one program that can open EPS files, and there are several other good ones.  Here are some:

  • Microsoft Word can embed eps files in documents, so it can serve as a simple EPS viewer.
  • Apple Preview can open EPS files.
  • Adobe Acrobat can open EPS files on either platform.
  • Fancier programs such as Adobe Illustrator can open EPS files.
  • One great free solution is Ghostview, an open source program based on the Ghostscript postscript engine. Ghostview can view postscript, PDF, and EPS files.

Editing EPS Files

If you need to edit your EPS file, you’ll need some fancier software that probably costs money. Here are a couple of alternatives.

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • CorelDRAW

Another alternative is to convert the EPS file to another format.  The above programs can do that, and you might also check out ImageMagick, which can convert from EPS to a wide variety of different vector and raster image formats.  Remember that if you convert an EPS to a raster format, you won’t be able to scale the image very well, so make sure you use an appropriate resolution to begin with.
Software To Open EPS Files

* Adobe Acrobat Reader
A free PDF and EPS reader.
* Ghostview
A free program to view postscript, PDF, and EPS files.
* Adobe Illustrator
A vector graphics editor.
* Adobe Photoshop
A raster graphics editor.
* ImageMagick
A set of programs for converting and editing many types of graphics files.
* How To Open An SVG File
SVG is a vector format similar to EPS.

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Trouble Opening PDF Files from E-Mail or Disc?

May 13, 2009 · Leave a Comment

It can be incredibly frustrating when you’re trying to open a file at work from a client or trying to view your grandchild’s pictures. Sometimes, the files just won’t open!

Most Common File Extensions
Some of the most common file extensions that you will run into problems with are listed below. Understanding what programs these files belong to are the first step to diagnosing your problem (maybe you don’t have the appropriate document viewer or program). Don’t worry, most document viewer programs are free. For example, if you are trying to open up a .pdf file, all you have to do is download the free document viewer from Adobe.com. Install & view your document, simply as that!

Trouble Opening Microsoft Office Files
Ever since Windows Vista came out, the new Microsoft Office suite saves typical office documents such as excel files & word files differently. This can cause a wrench in some folks document viewing and editing!

Instead of using the typically .doc (Office Word) & .xls (Office Excel), these files are now saved as .docx and .xlsx. Opening these ‘X’ files can sometimes be difficult when it comes to compatibility.

Quick & Simple Fix
One very simple trick that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t work is to simply change the file extension on a .docx file to .doc. I can’t tell you why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, but it certainly is the easiest fix and you should try it first.

Download a Document Viewer Direct from Microsoft
This software will only allow you to view .xls and .xlsx files, you will not be able to edit them. In order to do so, you will have to purchase the latest edition Microsoft Office or consider using a free office suite software called ‘OpenOffice’.

Excel Viewer 2007
If you cannot download the software and change the extension, your last option is to simply contact the source that sent you the files and ask them to use the “Save As” feature in their version of Microsoft Office to save it in an earlier version format that will be compatible for you.

Trouble Opening Files from Disc
Opening files from CD or DVD discs can sometimes present a problem. Chances are, the disc itself wasn’t burned correctly and the files are not accesible. Sometimes, certain computers can open burned CDs and some cannot. It all depends on your CD or DVD drive. So, before you contact the person who gave who the disc try the following solutions:

  • Instead of directly clicking on files in the disc’s folder, drag those files to your computer’s desktop. Then try opening them straight from your hard drive (this usually works!)
  • Clean the CD-Rom or DVD-Rom – Something as simple as a tiny scratch or greasy finger print can greatly affect the ability for your disc drive to read the disc correctly.
  • Try it on a different computer. Most households have two computers. Or, you could try it and a friends house.
  • If you burned the CD yourself – try burning it again and make sure that no programs are running while you are attempting to burn the image. Running multiple programs can sometimes ruin the quality of data that is burned to a CD or DVD.

Trouble Opening Files from E-Mail

  • Trying to download files from your e-mail can sometimes be very frustrating. Since there are many e-mail programs out there, here are a few generic suggestions that will help you open up e-mail in a variety of programs.
  • The file may be infected and your e-mail program is trying to protect you. Do you see a message anywhere stating the file isn’t safe? (sometimes this message is hard to find or it could’ve tried to pop-up in a new window).
  • The ‘Save/Open’ dialog box might pop-up in a new window…make sure your pop-up blocking software isn’t preventing this from happening.
  • You can’t open your file if you don’t know where you saved it to! Make sure that you use the ‘Save As’ feature when downloading the file instead of ‘Run Now’. Save the file to your desktop so you can easily locate the file later. Otherwise, it might get saved in a temporary folder and you might waste a lot of time trying to find it.
  • Do you have the appropriate software to view the file? Many times, folks get confused as to why a .pdf file won’t open and it’s because they don’t have the free pdf reader software installed on their computer.

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How To Eject And Remove A Stuck CD Or DVD From A MacBook

May 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment

After I had burned a new DVD of a video I edited up one day, I wanted to make sure that it would actually play on a Mac, so I did the same thing that I always do when I want to watch a DVD — I pushed it into my MacBook’s SuperDrive (what a cool name). As my MacBook made the weird noises that it always does when I put in a DVD (is that necessary?), I noticed that the SuperDrive showed up as an icon on my desktop and that the DVD was spinning around and around, which seemed pretty normal as well.

Unfortunately my DVD burning skills aren’t quite up to par because the DVD didn’t end up playing, which isn’t the first time that my computer skills haven’t quite been as sharp as I would like them to be. But, it didn’t bother me much and I figured that I would just eject the defunct DVD and try to burn another one — no big deal, right? Wrong. To my surprise, when I tried to eject the DVD from my MacBook nothing happened. It was like my Mac didn’t want to give me back my non-working DVD and it wasn’t budging on the matter. I couldn’t get my DVD back and I had no idea how to eject it.

Luckily, after searching around on how to get my MacBook to part with my DVD I finlly figured it out and I finally got my hands on the DVD that didn’t even work in the first place. Just in case you have the same problem that I did, I listed out some ways to get your stuck DVD or CD to eject from your MacBook too so that you don’t panic like I did.

Press And Hold The Eject Button

OK, this might seem like a no-brainer, but the fact that I am a fairly new Mac user, it took me a couple minutes to figure out that I needed to press and hold the eject key if I wanted to eject a DVD from my MacBook. The eject button is usually the key that’s located at the top-right corner of your keyboard. Most of the time pressing and holding this eject button will do the trick, but sometimes you need to pull something else out of your bag of tricks. Keep on reading if you this option doesn’t work for you.

Drag The SuperDrive CD Icon To The Trash Can

If hitting the eject button doesn’t work for you and your DVD or CD is still stuck in your MacBook a good second option is to drag the SuperDrive icon that appears on your desktop to the trash can. On my MacBook the trash can is located in the bottom right-hand corner of my desktop, so dragging down the icon is pretty easy. The SuperDrive icon should look like a CD and should have the name of your DVD or CD listed below it.

Once you drag the CD icon into the trach can, your DVD or CD should be ejected from your Mac. If not, it looks like you might need to keep on reading. Don’t worry, this option didn’t work for me, either.

Holding In The Mouse Button During A Reboot

Believe it or not, this is what finally did the trick for me when I had a stuck DVD in my MacBook. All you need to do for this to work is reboot your MacBook and as it’s rebooting keep your fingers pressed down on the mouse button that’s actually on the laptop. This might work with an external mouse, but to be honest I haven’t tried. As you’re pressing the mouse button and your MacBook begins to reboot, your DVD will eject before your desktop appears. I’m not sure how this happens (and I don’t really care), but it actually works. Maybe it’s some type of Mac magic or something?

I’m not saying that this method always works, but I know that it has for a few MacBook owners and at this point if nothing else has worked, it’s worth a shot. I mean, desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Over here on this blog I read about how this guy used a credit card to somehow get a CD out of his MacBook’s SuperDrive. It took him a few tries, but he did it by simply sticking the credit car in the SuperDrive’s slot, pressing the eject key and once he felt pressure on the card he pulled it out, along with the CD. Seems kind of crazy, but hey, it worked and might be worth giving a shot if none of these previous methods worked. If this does actually work, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know.

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Run Windows XP Without Hard Disk

May 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment

You can run windows XP without hard disk with the help of windows Live CD. Whether or not there is installed windows XP in your PC, you can run windows with windows Live CD. It may be called portable operating system. Without hard disk you can do many task with windows live CD.

You can find windows live cd in internet and download it and write into a blank cd. But you can also create your own live cd by yourself. In doing so, download “Pebuilder” software and install. Run the software and you will find the way of creating windows live cd easily. Pebuilder software will show you the way of creating live cd.

You can add other software for portable windows when creating it, such as winzip, Nero, Open office etc. when you will run windows from Live CD, those attached software will also run without installation. Before writing “Live CD” on tour blank cd, save it as ISO image.

When you will complete writing Live CD, insert the CD into your DVD ROM and windows xp will run automatically if there is no hard disk in your computer. All the best.

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