Clau's web Blog » Repair

Repair Your Computer For Free

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:43:09 +0000

I just read an article about a lady whose computer was deluged by adware. It was such a problem that she spent thousands of dollars on computer repair fees to try to clean up her computer. The said thing is that she could have restored her computer by herself in less than a few hours and for free.

Somewhere down the line, there will be problems with your computer (adware, spyware, viruses, good software gone bad, etc,). Obviously, you should use protection software to prevent as much as possible. However, you will most likely eventually find yourself in a mess. Relax! Don’t worry.

Don’t spend thousands of dollars on a computer guy to fix your computer if it breaks down. The first rule of thumb is, don’t spend more than $300, which would buy you a new computer today. But don’t throw away your computer yet — there is another solution.

If you are unable to access programs like MS Office and Quicken you may have a hardware problem, or your data may be so corrupted that you may have to call in a computer expert to get to it – and he may not be able to access it in a cost effective way. Decide ahead of time how much your data is worth to you and find out how much you will pay the expert.

If you can still access your data, try the following:

First, back up all the saved data from programs like MS Office and Quicken. Make sure you have the original program discs because later you will need to reload these programs, and any backed up data. Then, just reload your Windows XP operating system (or upgrade to Windows XP). Bypass any warnings it gives you about your existing data. It will wipe your computer clean and you can start again. Go online and load the FREE security programs listed below. Then load the programs you wish to re-install and then their backed up data. Your computer will run like brand new (or better!). Warning! You will lose everything on your computer when you install Windows XP, and all the programs have to be re-loaded.

Here is the plan.

1) Starting now if it is not too late, you should be saving your important files and data to a disk or better yet to an online file folder. The online file folder sign-up can be found in the godaddy e-mail area. This way your files and data are safer. I enjoy accessing my files remotely from any computer as well. You should also neatly save and organize your important software so it is easy to reload.

2) Reload or load for the first time Windows XP Home edition or Professional.

3) Now download for FREE Microsoft Defender Anti-Spyware from microsoft.com.

4) Now download for FREE Avast Anti-virus.

These three work great together. You can find great information on in the free stuff forum at dealking.com. They list many of the above solutions.

I even suggest for older computers that are running sluggishly to load Windows XP right now to clean it up your system and make it work faster – before problems occur. Your computer will work like new. CAUTION: You will lose everything when you re-load the Windows XP on you computer, but that is good if you have a bunch of junk. SAVE YOUR IMPORTANT ITEMS FIRST.

I did the above on 2 older Dells. One was plagued by an overload of junk and adware that popped up constantly. The other was just old and slow. I loaded the new Windows XP and started from scratch, and they work even better than the brand new Dells at my office that are loaded with a paid McAfee security package. McAfee seems to try to trick you into paying twice for the subscription, but the above solution is free and does the same thing.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on any of the above, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. For hardware problems or to restore data, you may need a computer guy (expert). Also, you may have a computer guy who is very cost effective and efficient (they are around), but there are just as many that spend to much time and money (yours) to fix something their way.

Repair Runtime error 216 – How to Fix Runtime Error 216 now?

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:43:32 +0000

What Is Runtime Error 216?

Run-time error 216 is a kind of error which occurs when you start up a computer using a Windows operating system, Internet Explorer, or another Windows-based application. If your computer is infected with virus called SubSeven Trojan, you may receive the following error message: Run-time Error 216 at XXXXX when you start Windows, Internet Explorer, or a Windows-based program.

Pc repair in Chicago

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:40:29 +0000

Is your PC not as quickly as it used to be? Do you solidly get application crashes,’time outs’ and the scary hourglass? When you press the power button on your personal computer in the morning, are you able to start the coffee, take a shower, style your hair and get dressed, all before your PC is finished booting?

In my experience, free tools are usually either crippled versions of their related non-free products, or do not do a{ good enough|n ok|n adequate job to be useful. But , there are one or two free tools that are exceptions to that rule, and provide a good product for people that genuinely cannot afford to get off-the-shelf software.

So, with that being said, here are my 5 proposals for free tools to hurry up your slow PC.

1. CCleaner
CCleaner is mythical for its utility in helping rid computer techniques of any and all junk that has accumulated on a hard drive. [**] there’s a hidden gem in CCleaner : its ability to find and clean Problems in the registry. Using CCleaner once per week will keep your system running pretty smoothly all by itself. However combining it with the other tools noted below will give you some synergistic results. As an example, in our PC correct shop, we use CCleaner before any antivirus scan because it will help the scan go much faster ( the resulting drive has fewer files to scan ). two.
In case you did not know, too many programs that load on start-up can quickly cripple a good PC. Limiting start-up programs to only the bare necessities is a superb way to reclaim much lost speed. Some people even go to extreme measures and disable all start-up programs and non-Microsoft services, but that can have a negative effect on things like backup schedules, antivirus protection, and useful keyboard shortcut keys.

Startup Inspector for Windows takes the guess work out of this process. Not only does this utility take the place of MSCONFIG’s very limiting interface for handling startup programs, but it also has the power to access a database of known start up programs.

three.
Nothing chokes a computer’s speed quicker than malicious software. However how do you sort the good from the bad? Is that toolbar you installed a bad program? How about that game you adore to play online? Could that’coupon finding’ toolbar that you installed be a virus in disguise?
That’s where Malwarebytes can help . Many seasoned computer fix technicians swear by it. Although the free version of Malwarebytes is’crippleware’ ( the free version doesn’t provide real-time protection ), it does an excellent job if run by hand on a constant basis.

four. Avast Antivirus
As I stated earlier, I am picky about that software I like to recommend. That goes double for antivirus protection, because antivirus protection is mostly your only barrier between you and the scumbags of the internet.

Instead, download Avast Home Edition. Avast Home Edition is completely free, but you do have to register it before the sixty day trial has expired. Registration is free, and afterward you can use it for a year before having to re-register. In addition to being free, Avast works pretty well, too. five. Defraggler
Defragging your drive is like reorganizing your storage closet. It makes things easier ( and therefore quicker ) to find.
There are very few tools that rival Defraggler. However [*COMMA] Defraggler is a close second to Diskeeper and is totally free of charge.
Computer repair in Chicago

Computer Repair 101 – 5 Free Tools to Speed Up Your Slow Computer

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:43:03 +0000

Introduction

Is your computer not as fast as it used to be? Do you consistently get application crashes, “time outs” and the dreaded hourglass? When you press the power button on your computer in the morning, can you start the coffee, take a shower, style your hair and get dressed, all before your computer is finished booting?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your computer needs more than another cup of coffee. It needs a tune-up. You probably already know that there are a myriad of ways that a computer repair professional can help you. But, unfortunately, not everyone can afford to call a computer repair specialist every time something breaks – especially those hardest hit by the current economic downturn.

I’ll be honest, here. As a computer repair consultant and owner of a computer repair shop in Fort Collins Colorado, I am not one to suggest the use of free tools very often. When someone can afford to purchase software, I usually advise them to purchase a quality retail product, because the paid-for software is typically far superior and the user is entitled to support.

In my experience, free tools are usually either crippled versions of their related non-free products, or simply don’t do a good enough job to be useful. But, there are a few free tools that are exceptions to that rule, and offer a good product for those who genuinely cannot afford to purchase off-the-shelf software.

So, with that being said, here are my 5 suggestions for free tools to speed up your slow computer. All 5 of these popular tools can be searched for and found easily through Google.

1. CCleaner

CCleaner is legendary for its usefulness in helping rid computer systems of any and all junk that has accumulated on a hard drive. However, there is a hidden gem in CCleaner: its ability to find and clean problems in the registry.

Using CCleaner once per week will keep your system running pretty smoothly all by itself. But, combining it with the other tools listed below will give you some synergistic results. For example, in our computer repair shop, we use CCleaner before any antivirus scan because it will help the scan go much faster (the resulting drive has fewer files to scan).

2. Startup Inspector for Windows

In case you didn’t know, too many programs that load on start-up can quickly cripple a good computer. Limiting start-up programs to only the bare essentials is an excellent way to reclaim much lost speed. Some people even go to extremes and disable all start-up programs and non-Microsoft services, but that can have a negative impact on things such as backup schedules, antivirus protection, and useful keyboard shortcut keys.

Startup Inspector for Windows takes the guess work out of this process. Not only does this utility take the place of MSCONFIG’s very limiting interface for managing start-up programs, but it also has the ability to access a database of known start-up programs. It will even give you suggestions for disabling certain applications, or leaving them intact so as to not limit the functionality of certain programs.

3. Malwarebytes

Nothing chokes a computer’s speed faster than Malware. But, how do you sort the good from the bad? Is that toolbar you installed a bad program? How about that game you love to play online? Could that “coupon finding” toolbar that you just installed be a virus in disguise?

That’s where Malwarebytes can help. It’s one of the best free malware removal utilities that I know of. Many seasoned computer repair technicians swear by it. Although the free version of Malwarebytes is “crippleware” (the free version doesn’t provide real-time protection), it does a very good job if run manually on a regular basis.

4. Avast Antivirus

Avast is a program that I’ve warmed up to over the years. As I stated earlier, I’m picky about that software I recommend. That goes double for antivirus protection, because antivirus protection is usually your only barrier between you and the scumbags of the Internet. I will never respect those who would steal and use someone else’s identity and/or financial information to get something for nothing, rather than to work honestly for what they want.

If you absolutely cannot afford antivirus protection, do not go without it. Instead, download Avast Home Edition. Avast Home Edition is completely free, but you do have to register it before the 60 day trial has expired. Registration is free, and afterward you can use it for a year before having to re-register. In addition to being free, Avast works pretty well, too.

5. Defraggler

Without getting into the technical details of what fragmentation is, or how it happens, let’s just say that if you haven’t defragmented your hard drive lately, you are probably overdue. Defragging your hard drive is like reorganizing your storage closet. It makes things easier (and therefore quicker) to find.

There are very few tools that rival Defraggler. Although I tend to prefer Diskeeper more than Defraggler due to it’s ability to perform real-time defragmenting, Diskeeper is not free. However, Defraggler is a close second to Diskeeper and is completely free of charge.

Coincidentally, Defraggler is made by the same company as CCleaner. It seems that Piriform is on a roll when it comes to developing and releasing free and useful utilities. Google the term “defraggler”, download it, use it. Leave it running overnight, as it will probably take several hours to finish.

The Clean-Up Proces – Step by Step

The order you use these free computer repair tools are up to you, but as a professional who has done this more times that I can count, here is my recommendation for how to use these free tools to speed up your slow computer.

Use Startup Inspector for Windows to remove unneeded programs from startup Reboot Use CCleaner to clean junk files from the system Clean the registry with CCleaner Reboot Update Malwarebytes and scan. Remove anything it finds. Reboot if it recommends you to do so. Update Avast and scan. It should quarantine anything it finds automatically. Reboot if needed. Use CCleaner (again) to clean up any junk left over from the virus removal. Yes, clean the registry with CCleaner one more time, also. Defrag the hard drive to reorganize the remaining “good” data on your drive.

AppleCare and Preparing your Apple for Repair

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:00:15 +0000

This is an overview of some of the things to consider before purchasing the applecare protection plan as well as some useful steps in preparing your Apple product before taking it in to get repaired.

Apple LCD Screen Repair

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:01:27 +0000

Apple Lcd Screen Repair – Do you have any problem with your apple laptop LCD screen? Worried about the red screen on your laptop LCD screen? Well relax; you have reached one of the best places for Laptop LCD Screen Repair. Our Full-Restore service includes everything. All you do is schedule your Full-Restore repair online, or call 1-888-64-Restore and we’ll handle the rest.

Mac Laptop Repair Tips

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:03:17 +0000

In the improving world where everything is converting into smallest form so the idea of making the computers smaller and smaller is always welcome. There was the time when the computers were so huge that it took them to capture one room like Mark-I and now they are so small that you might forget to take them with you. the laptops are not only coming in portable sizes but stylish and attractive laptops are demand of many people who want to carry the best laptop with them and the Mac laptops are one the best stylish and affordable laptops available in the markets.

Mac Repair

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:00:16 +0000

Although Apples new Mac campaign has led many to believe that Mac’s are impermeable to problems that PC’s have this is not the truth. I run a Laptop and Desktop Mac and PC repair shop in Northridge California so I can tell you that I see many problems in many machines on a daily basis. In this article I am going to cover one of the most basic yet common Mac Repair problems.

Despite the heat problems a lot of new intel-based Macs are having, Macbook’s are now experiencing a common problem with their logic boards (mother boards).

1. I have personally witnessed many instances in which someone will bring in a Macbook that randomly shutdown or blacked-out without response. Sometimes the logic boards need to be replaced, this is a rather costly Mac Repair, but sometimes there is an easier solution, that is what I will cover below.

Apple Macbook Pro Repair

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:03:58 +0000

A Trusted Source with a Proven Track Record
Apple Macbook Pro Repair When your screen goes dark, or a crack puts your laptop out of business, we know what a headache it can be getting a quick repair completed by a source you can trust. Like you, thoughts of being without our Macs for an extended time period is downright scary.

Read more on Apple Macbook Pro Repair…

Cheap Apple Logic Board Repair

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:30:29 +0000

Were you told it was better to purchase a new apple computer due to a faulty logic board problem? Have you had your mother board replaced multiple times by the apple stores or an authorized apple repair center? That is a shame. There are other options out there. The most cost effective is an actual apple logic board level repair. Let me clarify. This is the repair of your own logic board.