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#1 - Run Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter Run Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter to avoid problems with your hard drive. A lot of hard drive problems can be solved by running Scan Disk and Defrag. These are two simple Windows utilities available on all Windows 95-based computers. Run them weekly to keep your hard drive file system in good working order.
Backup your important data to diskette, tape, Zip
disk or a CD-RW. Anyway you can, make a backup in case anything
happens. This is especially important for those of you who are going
to be taking a system to a computer store for upgrades or
repairs.
Use a recent virus detection program. Don't depend on old versions to do the job. New viruses are introduced daily. Keep your virus software updated, but also remember that some viruses cannot be cleaned. Be careful. These viruses can destroy your entire database.
Purge programs not in use to free up hard drive space. A lot of file space is taken up by unused software. Go through and delete the old stuff. You'll be surprised how much room is available if you remove programs no longer in use. Use the Windows utility to do this so all data and directories are removed. Use a good quality surge protector. Many problems seem to "mysteriously" disappear when you bring your computer in for service. (Remind you of taking your car into the mechanic and it works just fine for him?) The reason for this is because of poor power conditioning in a person's home. Cheap "so-called" surge protectors are nothing more than glorified extension cords. In addition, you want to be sure that your surge protector has the capability of protecting modem lines as well. These are usually a little more expensive as are the protectors that offer insurance. However, spending a little extra money for reliable protection can definitely be to one's benefit. It's money well-spent and worth it in the long run.
If you have a system built by Tech Computer, you
definitely want our technicians to perform any service on
your computer, especially if it involves repair work as
opposed to upgrades. Doing it yourself may save you that
small amount of time by not having to bring it into the
store. However, you may be taking a chance of voiding
warranties, doing damage to your system, and thus
spending more money. And even if your system was not built by Tech Computer, you can bring it in for upgrades or repair work. Our bench fees are reasonable and our work is guaranteed. Bring your computer in and talk to one of our professionals for the best results. Or you can call. Just go to the "Contact Us" page for more information.
Keep your system clean, neat and in a cool, dry area. Take some time once a month to clean your floppy drive(s) and CD ROM. In addition, you may even want to purchase a can of air to remove any dust or dirt that can accumulate inside your computer. Also, DO NOT smoke around your system. This is one of the worst things you can do. Not only will your system become discolored, but the tar in cigarettes can greatly reduce the life and performance of the internal fans and other components. that are needed to keep your system cool. You can buy cleaning kits at your local computer stores. This is an easy procedure and it can save you from down time and repair costs.
Have the necessary information ready when you call in
for technical support. Be sure to have a detailed
explanation of your problem ready so that the technician
can try to pinpoint the cause of the problem. With the
right amount of information, technicians can fix a large
number of problems over the phone. It is extremely
helpful when customers can provide specifics. The
following is a small list of things that can help
expedite tech support :
For additional information on troubleshooting your computer, please
visit Schmahl World Computer Assistance at:
If you have children, you may want to closely monitor what they are browsing. Although there is a lot of useful and interesting information provided by the internet, there is also a lot of junk as well. Protect your family by being sure they are not downloading or browsing explicit or potentially harmful information. There are a number of programs that allow you to browse only the information that fits within the security level you have chosen. Even Microsoft's free Internet Explorer has a basic version of this feature. A parent could even monitor any information that has ever been browsed by their child by simply looking into their "History" or "Temporary Internet Files" folders. As long as the information in the folders has not been deleted, a parent could see everything their child has looked at, even if the information was not downloaded. Be a responsible web surfer and remember that it is ultimately the parents' responsibility to monitor what their children have access to.
It is the same concept when you go to purchase a vehicle. Before you even buy any vehicle, you should know how to drive it. In addition, you should be familiar with how to use the various features on your vehicle, whether it is operating the air conditioning, cruise control or stereo. Granted, no one (unless you're a mechanic) knows EVERYTHING about the vehicle you purchase, however, it is assumed that you at least know the basics. Likewise, with a computer, the user should know at least the basics of how to operate a computer system. This would include turning the system on and off, installing software, navigating through your operating system, being familiar with the basic features of the computer and its software, and learning how to properly shut down programs as well as the computer itself. In addition to knowing the basics, it is even more beneficial to you as a consumer if you are familiar with computer terminology and components. This will give you a definite advantage when going to purchase a system. Knowing this information will allow you to compare the pricing and performance of various components. Knowledge will also help in preventing you from buying something that is either too much or not enough to handle your needs. If you are ready to buy a system or even if you already have one and feel you need to become more familiar with it, you can always purchase books or take computer classes. If you are interested in taking computer classes that focus on the Windows 98/ME operating systems, please click here.
Many customers wonder if their computer systems are Y2K (Year 2000) compatible. To answer this question, there are two factors to consider. One is the hardware, in particular the motherboard and BIOS which keeps the time and date settings. The other consideration is software which include games, programs, business applications and operating systems. If you have purchased a new computer system within the past two years, chances are, it is Y2K compatible. However, if you are not sure, check with the manufacturer of the computer and/or the manufacturer of the motherboard. If you find you have a system or motherboard that is not Y2K compatible, you can USUALLY download a software patch to fix the problem. Some components, however, may need a BIOS replacement or even motherboard replacement in order to update them. Software is the second factor that
determines whether or not your computer is Y2K
compatible. Some older programs, especially those which
are DOS-based, may not be able to keep time or dates
after the year 2000. Problems can range from small
glitches in the time and date setting to crashing the
computer. One test is to set the date to December 31, 1999. Set the time for 11:59 and wait a minute to see if it accurately displays January 1, 2000. If it reverts to 1900, 1980 or 1990, you can assume that your system is not truly Y2K compatible. If it does accurately display the time and date, temporarily save the settings, go into your operating system and check your programs to see how they function. If all goes well, you should go back to the BIOS settings and set the date further forward to the first day of March, 2000 which should be a Wednesday. The reason for doing this is because the year 2000 is a leap year. Some systems do not experience a Y2K bug until after they pass February 29th, 2000. After doing this, you can check your programs to see if they function properly after you have changed the time/date settings. As mentioned previously, these methods are not full-proof. The best way to find out about the Y2K compatibility of your system and its software is to contact the manufacturers. If you have any further questions about Y2K compatibility or if you would like Tech Computer to perform a Y2K compatibility check on your system please contact us at (330) 945-6700 or email Tech Support at tcompute@neo.rr.com.
Spring/summer lightning storms can cause tremendous damage to a computer system. The two components that are most often affected are the power supply and modem. Therefore, now is the perfect time to purchase a good quality surge protector. Keep in mind, though, that not even the best surge protector can protect your computer from a direct lightning strike. The safest bet: Unplug your system altogether, power and modem line. Programs such as First Aid, PC Doctor, Watch Dog, Oil Change, PC-Cillin, Norton Utilities and others can wreak havoc on your computer. Although these programs are sold with the idea that they will improve your system performance and reliability, they usually do the very opposite. Many times, these additional utilities interfere with the Windows operating system, sometimes to the point it crashes the system. Windows already has basic utilities such as Scan Disk and Disk Defragmenter which check the drive for errors and to rearrange sectors for optimal performance.
Problem # 2: "I sometimes get 'illegal operation errors' while on my computer or when loading a certain piece of software" Most Common Cause(s): Illegal operation errors typically indicate that a program is trying to improperly use the RAM. Thus, it is a software problem. You may want to contact the manufacturer of the software to be sure there are no known problems or if there are any patches or fixes available. Problem # 3: "My mouse doesn't move a
certain direction" Problem # 4: "The CD ROM and/or floppy drive doesn't read CD's/disks" Most Common Cause(s): There are so many reasons why a CD ROM drive or a floppy drive won't read their media. However, we're going to stick to the most common reasons. Let's start with the CD ROM drive. If a CD ROM drive is not reading a CD, it could be the CD itself. Many CD's will become marked, scratched and mishandled over time. Therefore, CD ROM's may not be able to read them. To be sure it's not the CD itself, try it in another system. If the CD ROM from another system can read it, then you know it's not the CD itself. The problem may also be that the CD ROM drive needs cleaned. You can purchase cleaning kits from almost any electronic or computer store. The same procedure can be used for the floppy drive as well. Make sure the media is okay and be sure to clean the drive every so often. Other Possible Causes: CD ROM bad or damaged IDE cable is bad or not plugged in tightly Problem # 5: "Something in my computer is making a loud sound" Most Common Cause(s): The most common causes of loud noises coming from the computer are because of internal fans. The power supply fan and the processor fan are usually the culprits. Over time, they can become dusty and may not spin as efficiently as they should. Fans are usually inexpensive and not too difficult to replace. Other Possible Causes: Bad or noisy hard drive Bad or noisy CD ROM Problem # 6: "The modem won't connect" Most Common Cause(s): Normally the reason a modem won't connect is because the modem is not being recognized by the Internet Service Provider software. Check to be sure that your ISP software is set up properly and that it sees the correct modem. If not, you may need to reload or reconfigure your ISP software. Also, be sure that the Windows device manager recognizes the modem. If not, you may have to reload the modem driver. Other Possible Causes: Internet Service Provider is down Bad modem Poor line conditions Problem # 7: "When my computer is booting up, I can see the screen fine. But when it goes into Windows, I can only see squiggly lines" Most Common Cause(s): This problem is usually the result of someone setting the video (display) settings too high for the monitor to handle. The video settings could specifically be the resolution, color settings and/or refresh rate. If you have a new monitor available, plug it in. If it works, you know the older monitor can't handle the updated settings or has simply went bad. If you do not know how to change the video settings, take your system to a professional. It will be worth the labor to have it fixed. Other Possible Causes: Bad monitor Bad video card Problem # 8: "My CD ROM tray is stuck and won't open" Most Common Cause(s): If the CD ROM is not opening, many times the cause is because the CD inside has become stuck or is not seated properly inside the tray. If after several attempts, the CD ROM still doesn't open, you can try to open it manually. On most CD ROM's there is a small hole on the front. You can use a paperclip to try and open the CD ROM manually. Gently insert the paperclip until the CD ROM tray begins to open. It usually only opens slightly and from there you have to gently pull it the rest of the way out. Once you've done this, you can check to see if a CD has become stuck inside. If so, remove it. If there is nothing inside, the gears may be off line or the inside may be dirty. You can try a CD cleaner to see if that helps. If not, you may have to take it to a professional technician to have it fixed or replaced. Other Possible Causes: Bad CD ROM Broken gears Problem # 9: "My system will sometimes lock up" Most Common Cause(s): This is one of the most difficult problems to diagnose and fix. Because of this, there is no way to accurately assess the problem unless a technician has the time and resources to troubleshoot the computer step by step. However, we can list the most common causes of system lock-ups: -interrupt conflicts -having too many programs opened at the same time (or running in the background) -having too many diagnostic programs on your computer (such as Norton, Guard Dog, First Aid, PC-Cillan). The fewer the better or better yet, having none. -low system resources -software conflicts (drivers and Windows) -bad program software (especially games) -trying to perform a function in a program that it cannot handle -having the network and its profiles set up improperly -having screensavers on any network system -having illegal copies of software installed on your computer -bad hardware (especially memory or hard drive) If you are having consistent lock-ups, back up your important data. If you have access to or know someone who has an extra drive, you can even have them configure a known working and trouble-free hard drive in your computer. If there are no lock-ups with the new drive, you know it's either the drive itself or the software on it. Problem # 10: "I sometimes get a blue screen on my computer which says a 'fatal exception error' has occurred" Most Common Cause(s): This is also another common problem that can be difficult to diagnose. It is commonly referred to as "the blue screen of death" because a fatal exception error is an indication of a more serious problem whether it be hardware and/or software related. Again, you can follow the tidbit from problem #9 (using a different hard drive) to see what happens. If the problem reoccurs with the new drive, you can safely assume there is a hardware problem. If that's the case, fatal exception errors are most commonly caused by bad memory or bad cache on the motherboard. Otherwise, if the system appears okay with a new drive, you may have a software (or hard drive) problem. This may require the formatting. Other Possible Causes: Incorrect network configuration A program trying use the memory in a way it was not intended to Severe data corruption So Microsoft is coming out with yet another operating system. Are
you really that surprised? Well, you shouldn't be. And it's a good
idea to become familiar with it because the o/s will probably be
pre-loaded on all systems to become the standard shortly after its
October 25th release date.
This is information is taken directly from Microsoft's site. For
more information regarding Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, click on
the following link:
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