One of the best ways of protecting your PC against hacking, data theft and viruses is to keep your PC current with the latest updates. (In addition to having a good anti-virus program, of course).
It may surprise you that Windows XP with Service Pack 2, and Windows Vista (without service packs installed) have come to the end of their useful lives and will no longer receive security updates. They join Windows 95, 98, Me, and 2000 (plus earlier versions of XP) in the category of 'obsolete' and unloved by the IT industry.
However, you can update your version of Windows XP or Vista to the latest versions to remain protected. The latest versions are:
Windows XP - Service Pack 3
Windows Vista - Service Pack 2
The easiest way to do this is via Windows Update - or follow the full instructions here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389 (Windows XP)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935791/en-us (Windows Vista)
Or drop me an email or give me a ring, and I'll help you out...
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Thursday, 3 June 2010
10% off standard price visits
Join my facebook page and save 10% off standard price visits. Hurry, this is a limited-time offer. http://www.facebook.com/poorlypcs/
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Warm weather
I always have mixed feelings about this time of year. The weather, if a little unpredictable, is quite nice and the evenings and mornings are bright. There's something about a sunny weekend that makes everyone dash to the supermarket to stock up on a ton of meat, fight over the last packet of bread rolls, then rush home to burn it on a barbecue. Just as the neighbours have got their washing out on the line.
But my experience of early summer, like many peoples', is ruined by the symptoms of hay fever. Despite dosing up on every medication known to man, my only solution is to go indoors, close all the windows and doors, and lay quietly in a room until the symptoms subside. Much to the irritation of my wife, the house soon feels like a sauna and the windows are opened again. My wife simply hates the heat.
This does lead to a computer-related point, however: computers also hate heat despite producing a lot of it. That's why they have a lot of fans. In fact, they hate heat so much that one way or another, heat contributes to failure in a lot of machines. Believe me, the last few weeks have been hectic sorting out PCs that have given up under the strain.
But there is a simple answer: most of the computers are just bunged up. Popping off the side often reveals a mixture of dust and fluff all over the vents and grilles, and in the heatsinks above the processor and motherboard chips (underneath the fans). The fans just can't do their job properly. A quick blast with compressed air, and some careful use of a brush and a vacuum is often enough to sort this out.
Some of the build-up is from pet hair, some from tumble dryer fluff... the worst PCs are often those of smokers. You can always tell a smoker's PC from the rest: the dust inside is the thick, brown, sticky stuff - it accumulates very quickly. No wonder the PC gives up!
If your computer seems warmer or noisier than normal, or it's acting strangely, perhaps overheating is your PC's problem. If you don't feel brave enough to take the side off your computer and have a look, you know who to call. It's all part of the health check.
But my experience of early summer, like many peoples', is ruined by the symptoms of hay fever. Despite dosing up on every medication known to man, my only solution is to go indoors, close all the windows and doors, and lay quietly in a room until the symptoms subside. Much to the irritation of my wife, the house soon feels like a sauna and the windows are opened again. My wife simply hates the heat.
This does lead to a computer-related point, however: computers also hate heat despite producing a lot of it. That's why they have a lot of fans. In fact, they hate heat so much that one way or another, heat contributes to failure in a lot of machines. Believe me, the last few weeks have been hectic sorting out PCs that have given up under the strain.
But there is a simple answer: most of the computers are just bunged up. Popping off the side often reveals a mixture of dust and fluff all over the vents and grilles, and in the heatsinks above the processor and motherboard chips (underneath the fans). The fans just can't do their job properly. A quick blast with compressed air, and some careful use of a brush and a vacuum is often enough to sort this out.
Some of the build-up is from pet hair, some from tumble dryer fluff... the worst PCs are often those of smokers. You can always tell a smoker's PC from the rest: the dust inside is the thick, brown, sticky stuff - it accumulates very quickly. No wonder the PC gives up!
If your computer seems warmer or noisier than normal, or it's acting strangely, perhaps overheating is your PC's problem. If you don't feel brave enough to take the side off your computer and have a look, you know who to call. It's all part of the health check.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Website updated
My new updated website has now gone live. The new design now includes more details about the services I offer. It also gave me a chance to refresh the overall look and feel, for the first time in 5 years! What do you think?
www.poorlypcs.com
www.poorlypcs.com
Thursday, 29 April 2010
If I could only give one piece of advice...
I'm often asked what people could do to improve their current PC setup. I'm sure that my customers all expect me to recommend extra memory, extra speed and so on. But the most overlooked 'feature' in any setup seems to be backups. Perhaps less than 1 in 20 of the computers I see have an up-to-date backup in place.
Ask yourself this one question: if your PC disappeared right now - right this minute - would you miss any of the information on it? And given the option, how much would you pay to get it back? £100? £500?
It's a sad fact that computers get stolen, damaged, and commonly just fail... And that can often mean that the hard disk gives up with no warning and virtually no way of recovering the information. Even if it is possible, it can cost £500 or more to rescue whats left.
It's more common than you think, and the odds are probably against you so that at some point, you are likely to lose some vital information, be it photos, emails, documents or music. If you think it won't happen to you... Think again. Hard disk failures have happened to me. I have told many customers that their data is gone. It can happen to anyone.
But there is an easy way to fix this dilemma. Set up a backup. Keep it up to date. Spend just a few minutes a week, or month, for peace of mind. There are a couple of main options to consider:
Hard disk backup - an external USB disk drive is a quick, convenient way to copy all your files from your PC to a second, external device, which can be disconnected and stored away safely. The advantages are that it's quick and easy to do, they store loads, and you have ultimate control over your data. The biggest disadvantages are that they are prone to loss or damage if stored with your PC (think fire, flood or theft!) and it's important to set them up correctly. Fortunately, Windows Vista and Windows 7 makes this easy... Just press start and type backup to see how!
Online backup services can be great for ensuring that important data is backed up seperately from the PC. The risk of loss is far less if something happens to the PC and it's typically automatic (set and forget!) Norton 360 and Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) are two great examples of this technology. The main disadvantages are that the broadband connection required limits your backup speed and ultimately the capacity of the backup. Norton 360 limits to a few GB, whereas Carbonite limits to one PC per subscription. It also implies a little faith in the companies backing up your stuff!
Of course, the best option, where practical, would be to use a combination of both, but it's worth weighing up the benefits and deciding what's right for you.
There are other options which I've overlooked, such as USB pen drives and CD-R discs, mainly because these are lower capacity options with lower reliability and/or recovery options when things go wrong. By all means, any backup is far better than none, but I'm really just covering the main options for a backup newbie!
I hope this blog entry convinces at least one person to start a backup regime. It doesn't cost a lot to do. I know that many will have good intentions but won't get round to it. Others will ignore my advice. But if just one person saves a lifetimes work after reading this, my job is done.
If you want tailored advice on starting a backup, please give me a call or drop me an email, I will be glad to help.
Ask yourself this one question: if your PC disappeared right now - right this minute - would you miss any of the information on it? And given the option, how much would you pay to get it back? £100? £500?
It's a sad fact that computers get stolen, damaged, and commonly just fail... And that can often mean that the hard disk gives up with no warning and virtually no way of recovering the information. Even if it is possible, it can cost £500 or more to rescue whats left.
It's more common than you think, and the odds are probably against you so that at some point, you are likely to lose some vital information, be it photos, emails, documents or music. If you think it won't happen to you... Think again. Hard disk failures have happened to me. I have told many customers that their data is gone. It can happen to anyone.
But there is an easy way to fix this dilemma. Set up a backup. Keep it up to date. Spend just a few minutes a week, or month, for peace of mind. There are a couple of main options to consider:
Hard disk backup - an external USB disk drive is a quick, convenient way to copy all your files from your PC to a second, external device, which can be disconnected and stored away safely. The advantages are that it's quick and easy to do, they store loads, and you have ultimate control over your data. The biggest disadvantages are that they are prone to loss or damage if stored with your PC (think fire, flood or theft!) and it's important to set them up correctly. Fortunately, Windows Vista and Windows 7 makes this easy... Just press start and type backup to see how!
Online backup services can be great for ensuring that important data is backed up seperately from the PC. The risk of loss is far less if something happens to the PC and it's typically automatic (set and forget!) Norton 360 and Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) are two great examples of this technology. The main disadvantages are that the broadband connection required limits your backup speed and ultimately the capacity of the backup. Norton 360 limits to a few GB, whereas Carbonite limits to one PC per subscription. It also implies a little faith in the companies backing up your stuff!
Of course, the best option, where practical, would be to use a combination of both, but it's worth weighing up the benefits and deciding what's right for you.
There are other options which I've overlooked, such as USB pen drives and CD-R discs, mainly because these are lower capacity options with lower reliability and/or recovery options when things go wrong. By all means, any backup is far better than none, but I'm really just covering the main options for a backup newbie!
I hope this blog entry convinces at least one person to start a backup regime. It doesn't cost a lot to do. I know that many will have good intentions but won't get round to it. Others will ignore my advice. But if just one person saves a lifetimes work after reading this, my job is done.
If you want tailored advice on starting a backup, please give me a call or drop me an email, I will be glad to help.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
McAfee Antivirus update causes chaos
A faulty McAfee antivirus update inadvertently removed an important Windows file, C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe, on thousands of PCs worldwide yesterday. As a result many users have been left unable to use their computers - causing headaches for many of my customers.
If you are affected by this problem, please visit this link for instructions on fixing your computer:
McAfee Official Link
Alternatively, please give me a call, and I'll arrange to fix this issue for you as soon as possible.
News articles about this problem:
The Inquirer
The Guardian
The Register
If you are affected by this problem, please visit this link for instructions on fixing your computer:
McAfee Official Link
Alternatively, please give me a call, and I'll arrange to fix this issue for you as soon as possible.
News articles about this problem:
The Inquirer
The Guardian
The Register
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Buying a new PC?
No doubt you'll be aware that we repair computers, but did you know that one of my most popular services is setting up new ones?
My comprehensive PC SETUP AND TRANSFER SERVICE, will help you get your PC set up in no time. I'll do everything from set up the computer, Internet connection, printer, webcam, antivirus software, iTunes, Messenger - I will even transfer your documents, music, pictures and e-mails from your old computer.
So why put up with the stress and worry when a quick visit will solve it all? Oh, and the advice on what to buy in the first place is completely free.
More information at www.poorlypcs.com/newpc.htm
My comprehensive PC SETUP AND TRANSFER SERVICE, will help you get your PC set up in no time. I'll do everything from set up the computer, Internet connection, printer, webcam, antivirus software, iTunes, Messenger - I will even transfer your documents, music, pictures and e-mails from your old computer.
So why put up with the stress and worry when a quick visit will solve it all? Oh, and the advice on what to buy in the first place is completely free.
More information at www.poorlypcs.com/newpc.htm
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