CPU Repair Dude

In a word:  YES.

Usually it is possible to restore part or all of the data after a hard drive crash, depending on the cause of the problem.

If your data is important to you, it’s usually worth paying a computer repair man for a few hours of his time.

If you have a computer crash, call One On One One Computers and we’ll take a look and tell you what we can do.

Posted by Guest Blogger Jeanne Kolenda

If you have a lot of glare on your cpu monitor, it can be more than just annoying, it can be a health hazard, giving you eyestrain and headaches as well. So getting rid of that extra shine is important, especially if you spend hours and hours staring at the screen.

Here are some tips that can help with this situation:

• Evaluate the position of your computer in terms of proximity to windows and bright sunlight. Every room has a few walls that are not facing direct sunlight. Sometimes just moving the furniture so that you’re facing another direction will fix the problem.
• Make full use of blinds, shades and draperies in a room. You may not need to close them all day long, but at least have the option during the brightest part of the day.
• Don’t use a bright overhead light in your office or in the room where you are working on your computer. Instead, opt for a small desk lamp with a soft light. Make sure you choose the energy-saving bulbs that are now available, which are still available with soft light rather than harsh light.
• If you simply can’t avoid a harsh glare with any of the aforementioned ways, you may have to resort to emergency tactics such as building your own anti-glare reflector to attach to your monitor. Now, this may look funny, but it works. To do this, just tape several sheets of dark carboard together and form a “hood” around your monitor. Use the kind of tape that will not ruin the finish on your monitor.
• If you think this homemade hood looks just too goofy, you can always go online or to a good computer accessory store and purchase an anti-glare film to put on your computer monitor. They’re usually polarized and have a purplish tint to them.

Whatever you do, don’t ignore bright or harsh light which makes it difficult to work on your computer.

If you have need of computer repair, service or support, please click here:  One On One Computers.

Before you take your computer to a local computer shop or even call for on-site service, there are some questions you should ask to avoid any misunderstanding.  If you don’t get answers you are comfortable with, look for another company to service your computers.

Question #1 – How much do you charge per hour?  This is not something you want to find out after the fact.

Question #2 – Can you tell me how many hours this might take to repair?  This is always going to be an estimate because every problem is different, but you should be able to get a reasonable estimate.

Question #3 – Do you have a minimum charge?  Usually the answer is one billable hour, even if it only takes 30 minutes. This is completely customary.

Question #4 – Should I expect any other charges other than the hourly rate?  Other than hardware, the answer should be no.  Surcharges and other hidden fees should not be part of your invoice.

If you live in the Myrtle Beach area, One On One Computers has gained a reputation for fast, fair and thorough service.  You can visit our website here:  http://www.1on1-computers.com

Computers are not a luxury anymore.  Most school children are required to have a working knowledge of basic computer skills.   Before doing some training this week on this subject, I wrote out a list of the ways I use my computer.  Here’s my list:
o    Marketing
o    Training
o    Accounting
o    Email Communication
o    Keeping Up With the News
o    As an Encyclopedia
o    Shopping
o    And the list goes on…..
How about you?  What would your list look like?

Since computers are such an integral part of our daily lives and business, we have to take care of them.  Some people just don’t know how to do that.  I’d like to cover some basics in this article, and give you some free tools to download to help you take care of your computer(s).

Keeping It Clean

In order to keep it clean, there is some routine maintenance that must be performed. This maintenance includes:
1.    Deleting temporary and junk files
2.    Cleaning your registry
3.    Cleaning up unwanted cookies
4.    Clearing your browser history once in awhile
If you don’t know any of those terms, you can do a google search and get information. Or, you can just take my word for it.  There are two free tools that will accomplish these tasks for you.  You should use both of them. The first is called Abexo.  To download it, here is a shortened URL – www.budurl.com/freeregcleaner.  The second is a tool called CCleaner, and you can find it on the home page at www.piriform.com.  That website has several other freebies that you might want to take a look at.

Keeping It Safe

Staying bug-free isn’t just for pest control companies!  You have to keep your computer safe as well as your home. There are several different classes of bugs – Malware (malicious software), Adware, Spyware, and Viruses.  They all require a different approach.  The worst thing about a virus is that it has the ability to replicate itself.  Viruses are nasty.  One way to avoid viruses is to NEVER open an attachment that comes in an email unless you are really sure of the sender and you are confident that the attachment is something you are expecting and need.

Here is the list of free tools.  I’ll comment on them at the end of the list.
1.    Spybot Search & Destroy  – The best way to find this is to just do a google search and because it’s free, you’ll find several difference sources for the download.  Just pick one.
2.    MalwareBytes – You’ll find this at www.malwarebytes.org.
3.    Microsoft Security Essentials – Microsoft finally did something really right. This is an awesome product.  One word of caution: DO NOT run this along with another anti-virus product, such as AVG or Norton or McAfee.  Pick one and stick with it.  I am very satisfied with the Microsoft product, and would not pay for this service when something of this quality and effectiveness is free.  Look for this product on Microsoft’s home page /security_essentials.

I run MalwareBytes and Microsoft Security Essentials, and I could add Spybot if I wanted to without any conflict.

Keep It Organized

Degragging your hard drive is mandatory if you want to keep your computer running up to speed, literally (no pun intended).  Here’s a word picture for what defragging will do.  Let’s suppose you live in a house and you constantly take things out of drawers, out of cabinets, off bookshelves, etc. and you never put them completely away.  Pretty soon, you’d have a hard time finding things – it would take you a long time to locate items that had become separated or even lost.  This is what happens on your hard drive when you constantly use it to access information.  Defragging fixes that – it organizes your data and puts it all back where it’s supposed to be.

I defrag once a week, and more often if I see things freezing up, or slowing down.  If I am seeing these symptons, I will also clean the registry, run an optimizer and reboot.
Some people don’t do it as often, but whatever you do, make sure it’s regular.

Here’s my best tip for a free defrag tool:  Defraggler.  It’s also from www.piriform.com, the same company where I recommended you get CCleaner.

I hope I’ve been able to educate you and provide some useful tools that will cost you nothing but the download time.

Please visit One On One Computers to learn more about service for your computer.

Guest Blogger:  Jeanne Kolenda

Fast computers are expected these days.  The days of putting up with slow computers is over.  But, what happens when your computer slows down?  Do you know what to look for and what to do?

Actually, there are several things you can do to fix a slow computer before calling on the technician to make a site visit, or worse yet, have to unplug everything and take it in to a shop somewhere and be without it for awhile.  (This would be unthinkable for me!)  You just need to be a reasonable skilled basic user and have a little knowledge of some computer basics.

1. The first thing you can do is to uninstall programs that are useless.

The average computer owner and operator has installed programs that are just taking up space, literally- using memory – and that slows the machine down.

Sometimes we download programs, thinking we’ll have a use for them, but then we forget we even have them on our computers.  All those unused programs can add up over time and cause a slowing down.  Go to your control panel, click on “Add or Remove Programs” and it will bring up a list of all programs that are running.  From there, you can remove the programs.  You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find.

2.  Make sure to stay free and clear of spyware and adware.

Spyware and adware are so common these days that we just expect that our hard drives will be affected by these little buggers.  They usually take up residence when we are browsing on the internet. You’re in luck because there are many anti-spyware and anti-adware software programs that are very efficient in not only keeping your computer from taking on the bugs, but in cleaning them up if you are affected.  Note:  Spyware and Adware are NOT the same thing as viruses.

Viruses are in a class all by themselves, they’re much more serious and you should invest in a good anti-virus program.  As far as the spyware and adware are concerned, there are free packages that will do the job.

3.  Your Windows Registry needs cleaning.

Statistics show that more than 80% of the time you experience a slow down in processing speed on your computer, you are having a problem with your windows registry.  With the constant downloading of files, running of files, uninstalling files, etc., registry entries are made.  Soon, your Windows-based operating system will be full of corrupted files and registry errors.  Purchase a highly rated Registry Cleaner and use it often.  Registry cleaners are not all created equal, so do your homework.  I personally have used RegistryFix, Registry Mechanic, and currently, I am using an all-in-one product called PCMatic, which defrags, cleans the registry and gets rid of junk files.

Whatever you choose in the way of products, don’t settle for a slow-running computer.

If you feel that you need further help, be sure to click here:  One-On-One Computers, or call us at 843-215-2084.