PCinfospace

Some computers come with restore disks.  Some manufacturers require you to make your own disk set and yet others have a restore sector.  If it has a restore sector you will need to push the F10 or other key.  This will lead your through the process.

You need to take three deep breaths and ask yourself what you don’t want to lose.  Did you back up your precious data and/or pictures?

WARNING! Do not do this if you are not familiar with the process.  PLEASE!! Take it to a professional immediately. Do not wait.  If a virus has taken your computer down it will only make it worse to constantly reboot or to try to use at restore disk or sector.

You will most likely need to remove your hard drive and put it on a “good” computer.  You can either put it on as a second drive or (if you have the equipment) attach it to the USB port of the good computer.  You can purchase enclosures and other necessary equipment on numerous web sites.

Once you have attached the drive you should see it appear as a dive letter in My Computer.  If not the drive may actually be bad.

What do I restore and how do I do it?

• You need to go to My Documents in the drive and copy the entire directory to the computer your on or another device such as a USB external drive.
• Pictures – Although most pictures are saved in My Pictures by default you need to copy any other pictures you have saved in other locations.
• Music- This is also saved under My Music automatically. Copy from other locations if you have them.
• You can copy all of the Bookmarks (called Favorites in internet Explorer) you have saved for your browser.
• This is big!!! Back up your mail if you’re running an application on your computer such as Outlook or Outlook Express. These programs have specific ways to back up data so be sure you do this properly or you will loose what you have.
• If you have saved anything important on your desktop copy that also.

Once you are sure you have backed up everything you need to be sure you have all the programs you have put on yourself.  IF you are using a restore disk or sector the programs that originally came with the computer should be back once you’re done.

Exceptions

If you do not have the restore disk and if you don’t have a restore sector, you will not have any programs of any kind once you reload the operating system.  This is because you have to use a regular program disk. In that case you MUST have a legal copy of the particular program (Such as Window Vista) and you must have a legal key code (License).  It is illegal to use an illegal copy!

What else needs to be done?

These are the biggest things people forget.  You MUST activate the product. If you do not, it will expire 30 days after you load it. You need to be sure all drivers are loaded. This includes, but is not limited to, the sound and video drivers.  You need to go to my Computer, right click it and go to properties.  Then click on the hardware tab and then the Device Manager Box.  Look to see if there are any explanation marks or Questions.  If so correct them.  If not, your ready to go.

SAVE $109 – FREE Shipping – LG 23″ LCD Monitor 1080p 2ms DVI $199.99

I decided to write this article because I have run into many individuals and small businesses that ran into this particular problem. It even happened to me.

When you update from a previous version, you are asked if you want to keep duplicates if you are using a pst file for your backup. When you install Outlook 2007 it automatically brings in your old Outlook or Outlook Express messages and addresses. If you import the “old” pst file you may get the duplicates.

What about new installs?

I have seen the same effect (in some cases) in new installs also. I am just as confused why it does not always do it. After much research I do not see a real solution. It appears you can BUY a plug in to solve it. These programs appear to cost around $30.00. I feel it just is not worth doing that. In spite of the fact you have to work a little more by deleting the duplicate e-mails.

Are there other solutions?

Yes and no! You could try other e-mail clients such as Hotmail, gmail or Thunderbird. They are ok but mostly do not have the same functions as outlook.

If you have entered more than one email setup with the same pop server and SMTP you will get double messages. You need to eliminate one of the setups.

Here is what I found on one Blog:
1. You must have at least one rule set for the “Rules and Alerts” selection to show up.
2. Select “Rules and Alerts” from the tool menu.
3. Check under “Rule Description” if there are some that are then delete one of them.
4. After you delete the rules recreate them again.

I did try this. It does work (at least in my case).

You need to ask yourself what will work for you. I personally like Outlook because it has e-mail and scheduling all in the same place. You can prioritize and set rules for your messages also.

What I do not like about Outlook?

I wish it would have a better way of backing it up. Although they do provide a way to do it, I feel it is too deep in the file structure and the average person will not even think of backing it up. If it were a little more automatic I think it would be better. I think a scheme similar to QuickBooks would be good. At least it asks you if you want to. If you don’t back it up and your computer crashes you will lose all your contacts and messages.

Another suggestion:

If you have your contacts already put into your address book print them out (just in case). Just open the contact group you want, click on “file”, click on print and there you are. You will need to do this for each group you want to have printed. This will give you a paper copy.

Lets first say that it is not the typical spider that you have in your home.  It does not have legs and it is not an insect.

There may be numerous definitions to this term.  However, when it comes to the Internet it sort of is a creepy crawly thing.  It is a software program that crawls or works it way through the internet and scans web pages and stores information about each page. These programs are automated and are normally called Bots for a reason.  They can be programmed to do whatever the programmer tells them to do. As an example: they can be programmed to look for specific files, video or even images.  They can even look for contact information if they are programmed to do so.

The Good Thing

If you have a web page the spider will crawl the page. This information can be stored so that search engines can find the site easier.  If your site has the right criteria it will appear closer to the top of the search page. The closer it is to the top, the more likely somebody will click on it and the more likely somebody may read about or buy what you have for sale.

The Bad Part

Unfortunately spammers and scammers take advantage of this technology. They write spiders (known as bots) to gather your personal data.  This data can be used against you by either spamming (unwanted e-mails or web sites) you or by sending you spyware that will continue to gather information about you.  This information can become identity theft if used for illegal means.

What Should You Do?

The main thing to do is keep your computer protected by having high-quality Anti-virus and spyware programs.  DO NOT take a chance. The evil-doers of this world are highly aggressive and literally don’t care how they hurt you. Also, do not go to porn or other high risk sites.  These sites only need to be opened to spread these unwanted threats to your computer.

Removal of Spyware and Malware

When it comes to computer repair, numerous spyware and Malware programs have been raising havoc for most people that have Internet access.  If a spyware or Malware program is suspected, special software is used to remove the threat. This makes it even more important to have updated Anti-virus and spyware programs. If spyware or Malware does get through, it is sometimes necessary to totally reformat the hard drive.  If this is necessary some personal information and vital programs can be lost.

SAVE $100 – Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere for iPod White Refurbished $49.99

Many people are going to the multi-function machines that can print, scan, copy and even FAX.  However, it still could happen that you can’t do the scan function for some reason.

I will start with the independent scanners.  That is to say scanners that are separate from other devices.

1. Be sure it is powered on.  Maybe the plug or power supply has been turned off.
2. If the unit is plugged into electric power, you now need to be sure the USB cable is “really” securely attached to both the printer and computer.  (older models use a parallel cable) DO NOT assume anything.  Maybe somebody tripped on it or it just got unplugged for whatever reason.
3. If everything looks good, you now need to look at error messages.  Is there an error that shows up when you try to scan? If so look it up in the book, CD, or on the Internet.
4. Is the scan unit moving? If not it may be mechanically bad.
5. If all this checks out PLEASE reinstall the software. However, you need to uninstall it first. Some companies have the uninstall utility on the installation CD.
6. If you have uninstalled the software, you now need to reinstall it.
7. Restart the computer so it sees the new installation.
8. Test the unit.
9. If it does not scan, you should contact the Manufacturer.  Nobody likes to do that but if you want to resolve the problem you may have to.
10. If you feel more comfortable, find a technician in your area that can help you.
11. One last thought! You can try scanning from the computer using the utility that came with the scanner. If this works, you found the way you MUST do it.

What about multi-function machines?

• Follow the same steps shown above. If you can’t scan with a multi-function machine you probably can’t do anything else either. The difference is that it is possible for paper to get jammed if you are trying to copy something. It may be out of paper also. They are a little more complex to operate. Some have numerous buttons and indicators.  They usually have a small screen that shows the current mode and any errors that may occur.

You can scan using the software that comes with these units. In fact you can let the picture or copy of printed page come to your computer.  You can then edit it.  If it is a picture you can crop it or change it with the software that came with the unit or you can use any photo editing software. After that you can print it, e-mail or fax it.

SAVE $20 – FREE SHIPPING – Viewsonic MovieBook VPD400 Portable Video Player $119.99

You just came to work and you need to send an urgent FAX to your boss and/or co-workers.  You put the document in as usually, dial the number and OOPS! it gives you an error message (Normally it prints it out).  Now what?  Well! there could be some swearing I suppose.

The first thing to do is try at least one more time.  The big thing is that if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.  Don’t spend all day on this. Try to troubleshoot the problem or have somebody else that knows what’s going on do it.  Some companies have a department that can handle the problem.

DO NOT just throw the machine away and buy a new one.  You may find out you still have the problem.  It also may upset somebody when they find out you just wasted their time and money.

Here are some steps that should work.

1. Be sure that the phone line is physically attached to the fax machine and that it isn’t damaged in any way.  Maybe the phone line was run over by a vacuum cleaner.  This is no joke.  It has happened.
2. Unplug the machine and move it to a phone jack that you know is good. That is to say: move it to a phone jack you have been using all day.
3. If you can send a FAX you know there is another problem.
4. Find a good phone other than the FAX machine.  You still need to verify if the phone line itself is bad.
5. If the phone is either noisy or does not work you know the line is bad.
6. If you are getting a dial tone and can make a call your machine still may be bad.
7. In any case call your phone provider.  This could be AT&T, Verizon or any number of other companies.
8. Once you have the company on the line have them run a test on the line.  This can be done remotely and doesn’t cost anything. Most companies can help you with the troubleshooting also.
9. They most likely will get you a trouble ticket and send somebody to your location or tell you the next step to take.

What if all this fails?

You will need to find a phone installation expert in your area that can help you resolve the problem.

The main thing to learn here is do not assume your FAX machine is bad.  Have it checked out to be sure. You can take it to the store you bought it from also.  Some stores can test your machine at little or no charge.

How does this relate to computer repair?

Pretty much it doesn’t.  Yet every office that does any amount of communication has a FAX machine.  You will most likely have a document that you created on your computer faxed to some other location.  There are software programs that will help you fax a digital document.

Why use a FAX machine to start with?

SECURITY! There! that says it all.  It is still the most secure way to send documents. A computer is subject to hackers or spyware that can intercept your very valuable documents. Also, if your computer goes down it is one way you can still send a document if need be.

Buy Roxio Video Capture (USB) Device – SAVE $10 Instantly

Buy Roxio Video Capture (USB) Device – SAVE $10 Instantly