In the PC Repair business these days, we are hearing more people say they can buy a computer for almost the same price as repairing their existing PC. So why bother doing the repair? An good repair shop will tell you if your computer is worth fixing or not. If they value your continued business, they will be honest with you.
Some people like replacing their computer every year or two, so they they keep buying cheap, low end machines. Problem is, their user experience will be awful. Slow performance, crashing, lockups, bad battery life and lousy WiFi reception are some of the hallmarks of cheap PC’s. Then they have to transfer over all their data, install all their programs, and redo all their personal settings. Hey if you like this, knock yourself out.
Yes, computers have dropped a lot in price these days. You can buy one for $300. However, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Here’s what you get with a cheap computer
* Cheap construction/assembly that cracks or breaks easily.
* Cheap electronics that perform erratically and break.
* Processors (CPU’s) two generations old, are slow and don’t support newer technologies.
* “Bottom-of-the-Barrel” hard drives that fail manufacturers’ normal specifications and tests.
* Motherboards made with cheap, flimsy materials, thin wires and weak solder points.
* Circuit boards and chips that have several technical features disabled.
What does this equate to?
* Slow, erratic performance with excessive system lockups and crashes.
* Incompatibility with many types of software, Windows features and external devices.
* Weak WiFi reception, resulting in slow, spotty signal with recurring drop-offs.
* Poor battery life and/or batteries that die in a year.
So the decision is yours. Do you want to enjoy fast, smooth and reliable performance? Do you want your PC or laptop to last several years, so you don’t have to transfer your data, reinstall your programs and spend hours setting up a new machine every year or two? Do you want it to be compatible with any software, add-ons or peripheral you want to buy? Do you want it to run all the latest features that Windows and the internet have to offer?
If the answer is yes, don’t buy a cheap PC or Laptop. Fix your existing PC and save up for a better model. Again, if your computer guy is honest, he’ll tell you if your old beast is worth fixing.
Finally, the answer to the burning question…… How much does a good computer cost?
At this time, Spring 2012, decent Laptops start at around $500 – Solid, performance models with great battery life start around $650.
Decent Traditional Desktops (towers) start at around $400. Quality models start around $600.
What about those new All-in-One Desktops? These are the ones with the tower and screen all together in a single unit. Well, as I said in a previous blog post, they all stink, so stay away from them.
Avast! Free Antivirus 6.0.1203 program update was released July 05, 2011. Avast users need to right click the Avast icon in the system tray and select “Update – Program”. The new program will install and then ask you to restart the computer.
Here’s a list of the most important changes:
- Improved compatibility with Windows Vista SP0/SP1 (activation issues)
- Attempt to solve the “Windows Media Player using a red skin” problem
- Firewall: solved the compatibility problem with uTorrent
- Improved load time of WebRep IE plugin
- Fixed a bug in Google Chrome WebRep plugin causing excessive CPU usage
- Improvements in the silent installer
- Improved the CommunityIQ sample submission process
- Improved detection/removal of the most stubborn rootkits (TDL family)
- Various stability and compatibility improvements in the sandbox module
- Added new CreditAlert feature (US customers only)
- Added Thai and Serbian language packs
ModulaOne Network offers services in the Chillicothe and surrounding areas. If you are unsure if we service your area give us a call, we can always work something out.
Everyone has a Facebook account, right? While that’s nearly true, not all of us want it. I’ve had a Facebook account for maybe seven years. I originally joined because we used it as a discussion room for a university graduate class I was taking. Boy, has it changed since then.
While many people have issues with Facebook’s privacy, policy, and personality issues, my decision to drop my account entirely was more personal than that. I hardly used it, and when I did, I had nothing but bad experiences with it.
Well, I poked around Facebook for a bit, but the best I could find was a way to deactivate the account. Deactivation meant that no one could find me while it was down, nothing would be deleted, and I could always reactivate my account. I thought that was the best I could do, until Mark showed me there was a way to actually DELETE the account and all the data. Not surprisingly, Facebook had made it very difficult to find the information.
So how to get rid of it? Send an email from the Facebook Help Center and you will be notified that there is a two-week waiting period before it takes effect. That’s probably a good move, since many people have loads of data/photos/links/friends that they shouldn’t casually toss out.
You might want to think about deactivating your account for a few months before making the leap to delete it. Because once you’ve made the request and the time has elapsed, there’s no going back.
Unless you create a new account of course.
When your computer starts causing you grief and your first thought is to see how far you can drop-kick the thing, you are faced with a dilemma: Do I get it repaired or do I buy a new one?
Of course you could always just keep cussing out your computer day-in and day-out, but for sanity’s sake I’ll assume you’re not a glutton for punishment.
Considering the Cost
The first thing I tell my customers is to consider the cost of buying a new computer vs. repairing your existing computer. Do some comparison shopping to find a computer with comparable or better specifications (speed, storage, etc.) than your current computer. What is that cost including tax? Let’s say the cost of replacing your current computer is $500 including tax.
With the total price of a replacement computer known, take half of that amount (in this case $250). That is the maximum to spend on a repair job. If a repair job will cost more than 50% of the purchase price of a new and comparable computer, then buy a new computer.
Now, what’s the cost of repairing your existing computer? Well, that of course depends on what’s wrong with it. If it’s just a nasty virus infection that your anti-virus can’t get rid of, then 9 out of 10 times having a computer repair professional remove the infection will be cheaper than your 50% figure. If your computer was accidentally thrown onto the family grill and cooked to well-done, then repairing that catastrophe will most likely exceed your 50% figure.
So usually, the cheaper your computer costs the more likely it is that replacing it will be a better value than having it repaired.
Always ask your computer repair shop for a quote. Any repair shop worth going to will provide free ballpark estimates for repair jobs and free pricing information on replacement computers. Use that information to make the buy vs. repair call based on cost.
Consider the Time
If you only have one computer and you need it to work otherwise life on Earth will come to an end, then you’ll also have to consider the time to buy a new one vs. having your computer repaired.
Most repair shops today will expedite your repair (some for free, others for a fee). If all you have is a virus infection (How to Spot a Virus Infection) or similar issue, same-day repair is possible. If, on the other hand, your laptop’s screen is not working and requires a replacement screen, then unless your computer repair shop has the right replacement screen in stock you could have to wait a couple days for a replacement part to ship in.
Buying a computer can be as fast as driving to your local big-box retail store and swiping your credit card, or as slow as buying one online and paying for ground shipping.
When calling your local computer repair shop for pricing information, they will also be able to tell you estimated time frames for repairs and purchases of new computers.
Consider the Age
If your current computer is 5 years old or older, then consider buying a replacement computer (especially if it’s a laptop). Why 5 years? Read our previous article on Why Computers Don’t Last Forever.
1. Install an Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware program.
* Be sure to keep this up-to-date and do weekly scans. Most mainstream Anti-Virus programs can be configured to automatically update themselves and run routine scans of your computer. 2. Set Windows Update to automatically download patches and upgrades.
* This will allow your computer to automatically install updates for Windows, Internet Explorer, Office and other Microsoft products. These updates close security holes and improve stability and performance. 3. Enable the Windows Firewall in the Windows Security Center. 4. Install and use an alternative web browser such as “Firefox” or “Google chrome” which generally poses less of a security risk.
* Doing the above is the basic minimum that you should do to protect your computer but it will not guarantee total protection. To further reduce the chance of infection, you should keep this information in mind while using your computer and the internet.
Email is a common way of getting infected. while you can safely open an email, NEVER click on a link within it or open an attachment that you are not sure is from a trusted source.
Two Common Scenarios are: I. you receive an email from someone that you DON’T know. Upon opening the message, it tells you or, persuades you to click a link in the email. This is a common method of infection. The message often appears to be from a bank or a company you know. Do not be fooled. Businesses will not normally send unsolicited Email. If in doubt contact the company in question using contact methods other than those provided in the email to verify the legitimacy of the message. Also keep in mind that banks and other businesses will never ask for your username and password or other sensitive information via email.
II. You receive what appears to be a message from someone you DO know. It is possible that the sender’s computer has been compromised by a virus or another type of malware, and is being used to spread the virus to other computer. The actual sender doesn’t know you and cannot say anything personal to you, so, typically, it will say something like “Click on this link for some important information… “. Clicking the link in this message may cause your computer to become infected.
If you have any doubts, delete the message and verify the legitimacy of the message with the sender.
These same steps should be followed for any type of electronic communications such as instant messages sent through AOL Instant Messenger, Microsoft Live Messenger, Skype or Yahoo IM. This also applies to messages sent through social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
Web sites
Adult Websites, Free Game or Gambling websites are also common sources of infection. In addition you should not download software or add-ons from websites that you are not familiar with. This includes sites such as Facebook and Myspace .
Do not click on sudden pop-up windows while browsing the internet.
Stay away from file-sharing sites.
Sites that distribute illegal software, music, or movies are a common source of viruses and other mal-ware. This includes torrents or other forms of P2P activities (LimeWire for example). Staying away from these sites and programs is in your computer’s health’s best interest, as well as a good way to avoid legal issues for copyright violation.
The above advice is considered to be best practices that should be followed; however it is not a guarantee that your computer will not be infected.
LibreOffice is a comprehensive, professional-quality productivity suite that you can download and install for free. There is a large base of satisfied LibreOffice users worldwide, and it is available in more than 30 languages and for all major operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Mandriva, Suse, …).
You can download, install and distribute LibreOffice freely, with no fear of copyright infringement.
What’s outstanding about LibreOffice?
LibreOffice is a feature-packed and mature desktop productivity package with some really great advantages:
It’s free – no worry about license costs or annual fees.
No language barriers – it’s available in a large number of languages, with more being added continually.
LGPL public license – you can use it, customize it, hack it and copy it with free user support anddeveloper support from our active worldwide community and our large and experienced developer team.
LibreOffice is an Open Source community-driven project: development is open to new talent and new ideas, and our software is tested and used daily by a large and devoted user community; you, too, canget involved and influence its future development.
LibreOffice gives you high quality:
The roots of LibreOffice go back 20 years. This long history means it’s a stable and functional product.
Thousands of users worldwide regularly take part in beta testing of new LibreOffice versions.
Because the development process is completely open, LibreOffice has been extensively tested by security experts, giving you security and peace of mind.
LibreOffice is user-friendly:
You get a simple-to-use yet powerful interface that is easy to personalize – Microsoft Office users will find the switch easy and painless, with a familiar look and feel.
Compatible with all major competitors’ file formats. You can easily import files from Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and many other formats, and can easily save to Microsoft Office and other formats when needed.
LibreOffice is supported by a big worldwide community: volunteers help newcomers, and advanced users and developers can collaborate with you to find solutions to complex issues.
What does LibreOffice give you?
Writer is the word processor inside LibreOffice. Use it for everything, from dashing off a quick letter to producing an entire book with tables of contents, embedded illustrations, bibliographies and diagrams. The while-you-type auto-completion, auto-formatting and automatic spelling checking make difficult tasks easy (but are easy to disable if you prefer). Writer is powerful enough to tackle desktop publishing tasks such as creating multi-column newsletters and brochures. The only limit is your imagination.
Calc tames your numbers and helps with difficult decisions when you’re weighing the alternatives. Analyze your data with Calc and then use it to present your final output. Charts and analysis tools help bring transparency to your conclusions. A fully-integrated help system makes easier work of entering complex formulas. Add data from external databases such as SQL or Oracle, then sort and filter them to produce statistical analyses. Use the graphing functions to display large number of 2D and 3D graphics from 13 categories, including line, area, bar, pie, X-Y, and net – with the dozens of variations available, you’re sure to find one that suits your project.
Impress is the fastest and easiest way to create effective multimedia presentations. Stunning animation and sensational special effects help you convince your audience. Create presentations that look even more professional than the standard presentations you commonly see at work. Get your collegues’ and bosses’ attention by creating something a little bit different.
Draw lets you build diagrams and sketches from scratch. A picture is worth a thousand words, so why not try something simple with box and line diagrams? Or else go further and easily build dynamic 3D illustrations and special effects. It’s as simple or as powerful as you want it to be.
Base is the database front-end of the LibreOffice suite. With Base, you can seamlessly integrate your existing database structures into the other components of LibreOffice, or create an interface to use and administer your data as a stand-alone application. You can use imported and linked tables and queries from MySQL, PostgreSQL or Microsoft Access and many other data sources, or design your own with Base, to build powerful front-ends with sophisticated forms, reports and views. Support is built-in or easily addable for a very wide range of database products, notably the standardly-provided HSQL, MySQL, Adabas D, Microsoft Access and PostgreSQL.
Math is a simple equation editor that lets you lay-out and display your mathematical, chemical, electrical or scientific equations quickly in standard written notation. Even the most-complex calculations can be understandable when displayed correctly. E=mc2.
LibreOffice also comes configured with a PDF file creator, meaning you can distribute documents that you’re sure can be opened and read by users of almost any computing device or operating system.
Is your laptop making a lot of fan noises? Be sure it’s not being CHOKED by all the dust that might be all around the fan.
To remove any traces of dust, make a trip to Office Depot and buy a can of Compressed Air (Computer Duster).
Generally, it sells for about $7.00.
Also, do NOT ever place your laptop on a bed or surface like carpet for prolonged periods of time. That will circulate heat back into the system and is overall bad for your entire laptop.
Prefer to place your laptop on wooden, tile, or harder surfaces; this way, the heat can easily escape.
SPAM accounts for nearly seventy-five percent of email traffic worldwide. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot we can do to stop them from being sent. We can, however, prevent them from showing up in our Inbox each day. To accomplish this, you will need to change the way you behave on the Internet, as well as the settings in your email client.
Choose Your SPAM-Free Account
If you have been receiving SPAM, it’s already too late for that account. Sure you can use Bayesian filters, firewalls and other Security software, but once your email address is out there on the SPAM lists, your account is tainted and should no longer be used. Instead, create a new account and choose a name that’s relatively long and not a name in the dictionary. SPAMMers will use names, places and titles when guessing email addresses. For example, it’s a good guess that mary@aol.com is a valid email address. It it less likely that maryp123@aol is valid. So when choosing an email account, make sure the name isn’t very common.
Now that you have a fresh email address, you need to protect it. Never give out your real email addresses on websites you do not trust. If you post your email address on a website, it’s likely to get harvested by a human being or a spider programmed to crawl the web looking for the @ symbol or the mailto: tag. You should create a fake email address using GMail, Yahoo! Mail or Hotmail and use that address when posting online.
If a SPAM message arrives in your Inbox, do not click the “Unsubscribe” link. This is will alert the SPAMmer that they have found a valid email address and open the floodgates for more SPAM to your new account. At this point, you will need to start over with a new email account.
If you use Outlook or any of the popular online email clients, they will have filters and Junk mail folders designed to help keep SPAM away from your Inbox. Be sure to configure them. As you train your Junk mail, it will gradually learn what types of mail you flag and which you allow to come through. Gmail is a great mail client that does a fantastic job of automatically filtering SPAM. With patience and new behavior towards email, you will soon be SPAM free.
