With the wait for Windows 8 finally over, it’s time to shift our attention to how to get Microsoft’s newest operating system working in your favor. In this article, we’ll walk you through 10 useful tips for navigating the new interface, accomplishing advanced tasks, and using keyboard shortcuts to make your life easier.

1Windows Key Shortcuts

Microsoft’s operating systems have always shipped with some built-in keyboard shortcuts that use the Windows key, and Windows 8 is no exception. To execute the following shortcuts, just press the Windows key and the appropriate character key simultaneously.

Windows + X. This shortcut brings up a context menu that lets you quickly access things like the Event Viewer, Device Manager, Command prompt, Task Manager, Control Panel, Run dialog, and Desktop.

Windows + E. This shortcut launches Windows Explorer, making it easy to locate files on your computer, hard drives, or network location.

Windows + F. This shortcut opens the Search utility and defaults to finding document files.

Windows + Q. To quickly find an app you’ve lost track of, just use this shortcut. Windows Accessories, Ease Of Access, and Windows System utilities are also indexed here.

Windows + W. This shortcut also launches the search utility, but it helps you find settings menus, such as Devices, Privacy, and Notifications. It also lets you search for how to perform specific tasks, such as Add Printer, Connect To A Network, or Customize Your Account Picture.

Windows + C. You can quickly access Windows 8’s Charms menu (Search, Share, Start, Devices, Settings) by dragging your mouse cursor to the bottom-right corner of the screen. If your hands are already on the keyboard, however, this shortcut will also display the Charms.

2Close Applications

One of the fastest ways to close an application in Windows 8 is to simply grab it at the top of the window using your mouse, and then drag it down and off the bottom of the screen.

3 Do More With Windows Explorer

Microsoft is shipping a significantly tweaked Windows Explorer in Windows 8. To access Windows Explorer, press Windows key + E, then click the chevron icon from the upper-right corner of the window to access the File, Home, Share, and View menus.

4Change View In

Windows Explorer The two icons in the bottomright of the Windows Explorer window let you quickly switch between Details and Large Thumbnail views. The other views are still accessible as well; just click View and then choose an option from the Layout section, such as Extra Large Icons, List, and Small Icons.

Context Menus

Windows Explorer in Windows 8 features a number of context menus that only appear if you’re viewing a certain type of folder or drive location, or have selected certain file types, such as audio files, images, or applications. These context menus appear at the top of Windows Explorer and let you perform various file-specific actions. The menu tabs are brightly colored, so be on the lookout for them as you explore your files and folders.

5Library Tools

Libraries in Windows 8 are used to group files of a given type, for instance, Music, Documents, and Videos. When you navigate your Libraries in Windows Explorer, you’ll find a purple Library Tools menu option appear at the top of the screen. Click Manage to perform various Library- specific tasks, such as Set Save Location, Show In Navigation Pane, and Restore Settings.

6Recycle Bin Tools

When you view the Recycle Bin from Win8’s Windows Explorer, you’ll have access to the Recycle Bin Tools. Click Manage under this tab to access functions such as Empty Recycle Bin, Recycle Bin Properties, Restore All Items, and Restore Selected items.

7Show Hidden Files

As with Windows 7, you can configure Windows 8’s Windows Explorer to display hidden file types, but the procedure for enabling this feature is a little different. Start by launching Windows Explorer by pressing the Windows key and the E key simultaneously. Next click View, and then put a checkmark in the box adjacent to Hidden Items to display the folders and files hidden by default.

8Quickly Access Drive Tools

If you want to quickly optimize (defrag), format, or clean up a drive on your Windows 8 machine, just launch Windows Explorer (Windows key + E) and select the drive or Computer from the left pane. This displays the Drive Tools toolbar at the top of the window. Just click Manage to access these handy functions.

9Quickly Access BitLocker

In Win8 If you want to encrypt a folder or file, you’ll typically use Windows Explorer to navigate to the drive first. Helpfully, Microsoft has added a BitLocker (Microsoft’s folder encryption utility) shortcut to Windows Explorer. Simply click the drive you want to encrypt, click Manage from the top of the window, click BitLocker, and then select Turn On BitLocker. You can also enable BitLocker from the context menu that appears whenever you rightclick a drive or location.

10Quickly Access

Common Networking Tasks Windows Explorer features a Computer context menu that you can access by double-clicking the Computer icon from the Win8 Desktop. Click the Computer tab to see a list of the available Location, Network, and System functions you can perform. The Network functions include Access Media, Map Network Drive, and Add A Network Location.

Setting up and securing a wireless router in your office is something anyone can do. Here, we’ll take you step-by-step through the physical installation and setup of a wireless router.

Step One
Start by disconnecting the device that is currently connected to your cable or DSL modem. If you don’t already have a network, this is likely a PC. If you’re upgrading a network, this is likely the old router.

Step Two
Power off your cable or DSL modem.

Step Three
Run an Ethernet cable from the cable or DSL modem to the router’s WAN (wide-area network) port. Note that it’s best to locate a wireless router in the middle of a home or office, if possible, so that the signal will reach all of your devices. To move the router, you may need to move the cable or DSL modem, or locate a stretch of Ethernet cable that’s long enough to reach the spot where you want to place the wireless router.

Step Four
Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the LAN port on the router and connect the other end to a PC with a wired Ethernet connection, because you’ll need a wired connection to access and configure the wireless router.

Step Five
Attach the power adapter to the router, and plug the power adapter into a wall outlet. In some cases, you may also need to switch the router on. Also, you can now power on your cable or DSL modem. Wait a minute or two until both the router and modem have booted up.

Step Six
Turn on the computer that’s connected to the router and open your Web browser. Reference the router’s users manual to find the address you need to enter to make changes to the router’s configuration. Typically, the Web address will be something similar to http://192.168.10.1. Once you open the configuration utility, you’ll need to enter a username and password, the defaults for which are generally “admin.” Note that you can (and should) change the username and password within the router’s settings, so that only you will be able to alter the router’s configuration.

Step Seven
You should now have access to the router’s configuration utility. Start by setting up your Internet connection with the information that was provided by your ISP. Many routers offer a setup wizard area; from here you can click through the most common options to quickly configure your router. After you’ve entered the data, you’ll likely need to reboot the router for the settings to take effect.

Step Eight
Most routers begin broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal by default, but you’ll want to alter the settings with a network name and password that’s known only to employees and guests. To protect your network, it’s wise to encrypt it. Typically, these settings should be listed under a Wi- Fi or wireless settings area where you’ll change the network name. To change the network name, look for the SSID Service Set Identifier) field. Enter the name of the network you prefer, such as your business’s name or something that will help employees easily figure out what network they should join. As an extra security measure, consider setting the system so that it does not broadcast the SSID, in which case your employees (or family) will have to manually enter the name when they (or you) set up their computers to connect to the wireless network.

Step Nine
Next, configure the network’s encryption protocol. There are three common encryption standards: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), or WPA2. WPA2 is generally considered the strongest encryption method, and WPAPSK (pre-shared key) allows you to use a memorable password, rather than a long, random string of numbers and letters. To set up Wi-Fi encryption, choose the standard you want to use and enter the password into the available fields. Whatever you choose, come up with a good way to remember the network name and key or write it down (keep it in a secure location if you do so) to make it easy to give it to employees and important clients who need Wi-Fi access.

Step Ten
Now, you should be able to see and access the network on your office computers. If service still seems to be spotty or slow, check with your employees about what Web applications they are using during the workday. For example, video conferencing or social networking tools occasionally take up extra bandwidth, although they can be useful for meeting and interacting with clients and customersremotely.

Few computer problems are more frustrating than a system that won’t boot. Your best lifeline, the Internet, is inaccessible, you often don’t have an error message to give you a clue, and the software menus to which you do have access may be unfamiliar and difficult to navigate and decipher.

The best way to troubleshoot the problem is to try the most common fixes first and then work your way down to the less common fixes.

Recent Hardware Changes

If your system reboots immediately after you start your computer, that’s often an indication of a hardware problem. If you recently installed anything, such as a new storage device, processor, or memory module, check to see that you installed it as instructed. Remember to exercise caution when working inside your computer: Turn it off, unplug it, and then touch a part of the case frame to dissipate static electricity. The first thing to do is to ensure that your memory modules are properly seated. It’s also a good idea to check that every hard drive or SSD in the system has both power and data cables firmly connected. Be sure to check the processor heatsink to make sure it’s installed and held firmly in place and that the graphics card (if present) is fully inserted into its slot and any external power ports are connected to the power supply. Make sure all the motherboard power ports are connected, as well; most motherboards require a 24-pin power connector on the right edge of the board and a 4- or 8-pin power connection toward the top of the motherboard.

Back To The BIOS

If the settings in the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) have become unstable, resetting it may solve the problem. To do this, restart your computer and immediately press the designated key that lets you access the BIOS. This key varies from computer to computer, but often it appears onscreen during the boot process. The DELETE, ESC, F1, or F2 keys are all common. Once in the BIOS setup utility, try loading the Optimized Defaults, save the settings, and restart. If your computer still fails, re-enter the BIOS and load the Fail-Safe Defaults. If you can’t even access the BIOS, then you may need to reset the CMOS (complementary metaloxide semiconductor), which retains your computer’s BIOS settings. Consult your motherboard or computer manual for the location of the CMOS jumper, which you can temporarily move between the three pins on the motherboard to perform the reset. After about 10 seconds, move the jumper back and try restarting.

The Safe Mode Or System Restore Options

Try to boot your computer into Safe Mode by restarting your computer and pressing the F8 key as it attempts to boot up. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight the Safe Mode option and then press ENTER. If you have more than one OS installed on your system, you may need to select the OS you want to boot into Safe Mode. If your computer boots successfully into Safe Mode, then the issue may have been resolved, so attempt a normal reboot. If the problem persists, try a System Restore: Re-enter Safe Mode, click Start, type system restore, and then press ENTER. Use this wizard to use a Restore Point to reclaim access to your PC. Be sure to select a point prior to the day on which you began having trouble.

The data that accumulates in our Web browser’s history, such as cookies and temp files, is one of the biggest contributors to the “junk” files that slow down our computers. Fortunately, there are easy ways to lean out the browsing history in today’s Web browsers, and we’ll show you how.

Internet Explorer

In Internet Explorer 9, select the Tools button (it looks like a gear and is located next to the Home and favorites buttons) and click Internet Options. Click the Delete button under Browsing History and you’ll see a list of items that IE9 automatically saves, such as Temporary Internet Files, History, and Passwords. If you’re looking to save space, ensure that check marks are placed in the Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History checkboxes. Categories such as Form Data and Passwords save information that you’ve entered into previously visited websites, so they are designed to speed up your Web experience and may best be left unchecked. Similarly, IE9 also features a Preserve Favorites option that allows IE9 to retain the cookies and temporary files for those websites in your Favorites list to help those Web pages load faster. Consider checking this box to speed up your overall Web experience. Once you’ve made your checkbox selections, click the Delete button and IE9 will remove the files and information. Note that the temporary Internet Files folder may contain a large amount of data, so it could take a few minutes to finish the task.

Firefox

To clear out Firefox 9, select the Tools menu (you may need to press the ALT button to temporarily bring up the Menu Bar) and click Clear Recent History. At the top of the resulting window, Firefox provides a Time Range To Clear drop-down box, where you can choose from Everything, Last Hour, Last Two Hours, Last Four Hours, and Today. Under Details, you’ll find checkboxes for the various types of data that Firefox saves. The key space hog categories in Firefox are the Cookies and Cache items, so you’ll want to ensure they are checked. Items such as Active Logins and Site Preferences help Firefox to expedite the loading of your most often-visited websites, so you may want to remove the checkboxes from those options. To delete the data, click the Clear Now button.

Google Chrome

With Google Chrome 16, you clear data by clicking the Wrench icon, which is located next to the Address bar on the browser toolbar. Click Tools and select Clear Browsing Data. The pop-up window offers you an Obliterate The Following Items From dropdown menu where you can delete data from the past hour, day, week, month, or all Chrome files. By default, Chrome places checkboxes in the Clear Browsing History, Clear Download History, Empty The Cache, and Delete Cookies And Other Site And Plug-in Data, which are wise choices for those who want to free up storage. The Clear Saved Passwords and Clear Saved Autofill Form Data are unchecked, and you may want to keep the data, because it helps to quicken the load times of your most commonly accessed websites. Click the Clear Browsing Data button to remove the files you selected.
 

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Have you ever wanted to be able to access all of your important files, music, photos, and more from all computers in your home from one central server? The solution is to setup Server at your home or office.

A server acts as a central repository for programs and/or data, letting employees access those things from inexpensive clients (terminals or workstations) that have a minimal amount of hardware, or remotely via a secure connection. Most also come with print server capabilities that let you share one or more printers over the network.

Storage & Database Servers

Some servers are designed to store files or databases so employees can access and store them in a managed environment. Serving files or databases this way helps prevent issues with multiple versions being stored and modified on multiple computers, and it simplifies backup and security, as all that is handled on the server. Storage servers are constrained by capacity. Buy one that accommodates all your files but still has plenty of room for backup storage and future files. Getting an expandable storage server that lets you easily add drives later is also a good idea, and a good way to save money is to buy one equipped with only the storage you need and then add drives later. Hard drive prices drop considerably over time even as their performance and capacity increases, so you can save a lot of money by holding off on storage upgrades. Database servers are restricted mainly by the number of simultaneous requests for data they can handle. When shopping for one, be sure to buy a server robust enough to handle all our employees and with enough expansion capacity to accommodate the growth of your business.

Application Servers

In a business without a server, employees have their own computers and software must be licensed, installed, and updated on each individual machine. An application server streamlines that by hosting applications such as Microsoft Office on the server. Employees then connect to the server to launch the software. This can cut down dramatically on licensing fees; reduces employee workstation hardware requirements because the server does all the heavy lifting; and makes it much easier to update, configure, and secure applications. Application servers also help you save money when new programs come out that have relatively high system requirements. When this happens, you can upgrade the server to meet the requirements instead of upgrading multiple PCs.

Email, Web & FTP Servers

Managing all types of Internet access is crucial for all businesses, and it is difficult to restrict usage or stave off threats across multiple separate PCs. Instead, consider an email server that lets you centrally control and store all employee emails, or an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server that lets emplo es remotely and securely access files from the road. Web servers also exist that let you host your own company Web site. Many small businesses find that it’s easier to engage a reputable Web hosting company (which is up to date on the latest security techniques) than to host a Web site. A Web host handles the nuts and bolts of Web hosting but lets you configure the site. You handle the parts that matter to you and leave the rest to the Web host.

When your security software malfunctions, you’re putting everything on the line until it’s fixed. Read on for solutions to a few problems you may encounter with your security software.

Your Antivirus Software Appears Not To Be Functioning Or Dramatically Slows Your PC’s Performance
Believe it or not, there is such a thing as too much protection. Running more than one antivirus program on your PC at once can lead to conflicts, severe reduction in performance, and other problems. If you are running more than one, uninstall the extra program(s). Although not every slow PC or malfunctioning antivirus software is due to multiple instances of antivirus, it is common. Antivirus software requires low-level access to your system, and if it detects another application that has access to the same sensitive areas of your system, it will flag that as malware. Both Microsoft and third-party antivirus software developers agree, one is all you need. If for some reason you do want to keep two installed, make sure only one is active at a time. Usually, an icon in the system tray is a good indicator that an antivirus application is running. Right-click the extra program(s) and exit or disable them.

You Suspect That Your PC Is Infected, But Antivirus & Antispyware Scans Find Nothing
The first thing you want to do is make sure your antivirus and antispyware software is fully updated. Typically, these programs check for updates prior to running, but a failed connection to the Internet can prevent the updates from downloading. Another tactic is to try running an alternative antispyware scanner. While we recommend running only one antivirus program at once, you can run several antispyware applications without experiencing any system-crippling side effects (only let them scan one at a time). Often, a virus or malware program can keep your antivirus and antispyware applications from running, and can prevent you from installing alternatives or browsing the Web for answers. If this is the case, you need help. If you can get access to another PC, you can install the infected hard drive as a secondary drive and use the other computer to run a virus scan on it. If you have Internet access and you can install applications, you can try the Microsoft Safety Scanner.

Avoid Rogue Antivirus Software
Rogue antivirus software tends to first notify you of problems while you’re browsing an infected Web page. Because these applications are modeled after actual antivirus applications, they can look very convincing. The best way to avoid being duped is to get to know your current antivirus and antispyware software. If the alerts you’re seeing say something to the effect of “your system is infected, scan now” but they aren’t coming from your trusted software, it’s likely a spoof. Don’t click anything. Press ALT-F4 to close the popup and Web page, then run your current antivirus software; then scan with your trusted antispyware application to determine if there really is an infection. Beware, if you click a button to scan or even to dismiss the message, the rogue software may download and install on your PC, commonly disabling your existing antivirus applications in the process. If you suspect that you have rogue antivirus software installed on your system and are unable to run your current antivirus and antispyware applications, then install the infected hard drive as a secondary drive and run a virus scan using the other computer.

Keep It Safe
Security software is your first and last defense against malware, phishing sites, and hackers. Take good care of your antivirus and antispyware software and it will take good care of you.

As parents of Web-surfing children, we face a much more complex challenge than the one that TV posed to our own parents. TV provided a one-way media stream that was easy to control and monitor. Thanks to the Internet, today’s children are connecting to each other and strangers daily. Windows 7 provides some basic tools to help you keep your child safe when using your computer.

Basic Controls

Win7’s built-in controls let you set three important restrictions: the programs your child can use, the games your child can play, and the amount of time (and the time during the day) that your child can use the computer.To control these settings, click Start, Control Panel, and then click Set Up Parental Controls For Any User under User Accounts And Family Safety. Choose your child’s user account (or click Create A New User Account to make one on the spot) and then choose On, Enforce Current Settings. You can now manage the basic controls.

Windows Live Family Safety

Although Win7’s built-in parental controls provide a good foundation for protecting your children, you may find yourself wishing for features the operating system doesn’t include. That’s where Microsoft’s free Windows Live Family Safety 2011 (explore.live.com/windows-live-family-safety) comes in. The software locks your Internet browsers into their SafeSearch modes (to prevent inappropriate images and search results) and provides monitoring tools that help you confirm your child is behaving responsibly online. Download and install the software. Next, click Start and enter Windows Family in the search field. Click Windows Live Family Safety. A window will prompt you to enter your Windows Live ID and password. If you don’t have a Windows Live ID, click Sign Up to receive one free. Once you’ve entered this info, a window will ask you to select your child’s account for monitoring. At this point, you can configure settings for his account at familysafety.live.com. (The program provides this link for you.) This online security settings tool is handy because it means you can adjust the settings from any Internet-connected computer. It also means that you can view reports of your child’s behavior remotely. If you plan to check on your child’s activity regularly, you’ll like being able to access the Windows Live Family Safety settings anywhere, anytime.

The Best Defense

All this blocking and monitoring won’t protect your child when he visits a friend who has an unmonitored computer. Educating your child about appropriate online behavior is a key complement to the security that software provides.

Follow this simple troubleshooting guide to resolve this problem:

1 Locate the network icon in the bottom-right corner of the Taskbar. Right-click it and select Open Network And Sharing Center. If you see an exclamation point in a yellow triangle or a red X between your network and Internet icons, click Troubleshoot Problems. Next, click Internet Connections to run a diagnostic and follow any subsequent instructions.

2 If you have determined the issue is not software-related, check your wireless networking hardware, which should include a broadband modem (connected by your Internet service provider to a phone or cable jack), the attached wireless router, and a power source. Ensure that all cables are properly connected and that both the modem and the router are operating normally (consult the appropriate manufacturer manuals for detail information). If necessary, press any Reset buttons you see or unplug the power cables from both devices, wait 10 seconds, and then plug them in again.

3 If you’re trying to connect a hotspot or friend’s network, ask whether you need to enter a password. Many wireless networks are encrypted.

If all that doesn’t solve your problem, let us troubleshoot your PC or laptop network support!

Do the basics:

1 Unplug the monitor’s power cable from the monitor (and the wall outlet) and then plug the cable back in. Also, make sure the video cable is firmly connected to your computer and the monitor. Reconnect any unplugged or loose cables.

2 Is there a small colored light illuminated in the corner of your monitor? If not, push the Power button. Locate the Power icon, which looks like a circle with a line protruding from the top of it.

3 Open the monitor’s Brightness Settings. To do so, find the button on the front of the monitor that has an icon that resembles a light bulb or sun. Push it to see if the brightness level is set to a dim level. Increase the brightness to a comfortable level for your eyes.

4 Your PC might be in Sleep or Hibernation mode. To “wake” it and view your desktop, try pressing the ENTER key, moving your mouse, and pressing the Power button.
If all that doesn’t solve your problem, let us troubleshoot your PC or laptop for video issues or laptop screen repair!

1 Start by making sure that you pressed the Power button. (Make sure you’ve pressed the Power button on your monitor, too.) The Power button typically has an icon that resembles a circle with a vertical line at the top.

2 If you have a desktop, unplug the power cable from your PC (and the wall outlet) and then plug it back in. A loose cable is usually to blame for a PC that won’t start. If the power cable isn’t the problem, look for a switch near the cable at the back of the PC. Some computer power supplies have a switch that can be flipped to cut off power. Flip the switch and then press the Power button again.

3 If you have a laptop, start by reseating the battery. If the battery isn’t firmly locked into place, it may not provide any power to the laptop. If this doesn’t solve the problem, connect the laptop to the wall outlet and let the battery fully charge.

If all that doesn’t solve your problem, let us troubleshoot your PC or laptop for power issues or DC jack repair!

Windows Home Server (WHS) is meant for your family needs or for use in a home or small office. It allows you to centralize your important documents and digital media files on one box and provides easy access from other machines on your network. It has the ability to backup 10 computers and restore them if needed. It acts as a media server, backup solution, data recovery, document management, and allows you to access what you need from anywhere there is a web connection. Using a personalized website address, it lets you securely download and upload your data files.

Windows Home Server Features:

Your life has gone digital – it is time to simplify your life so you can easily access your files, photos, videos, and music from any PC or TV in your home, or even while away from home. Windows Home Server was designed for households and small business owners that have more than one personal or office computer. If you have multiple PCs with increasingly large amounts of digital photography, music, video, and documents, then protecting, organizing, and connecting this digital media can be a challenging task.

• Store and Share Digital Files

With Windows Home Server as your media server, store all your photos, movies, and more in a central location that can be accessed from any computer on your home network. And Windows Home Server uses a familiar interface that integrates with all your family’s home PCs, making it even easier to find digital media.

• Back up and Restore Files and PCs

Windows Home Server helps keep your family’s important files safe by automatically making an image-based daily backup of every computer on your network. Your files and folders are duplicated across multiple hard drives, so even if one hard drive fails, you can still recover all your data.

• Access Your Data Anywhere

Windows Home Server enables you to easily and more securely access your files and personal computers from inside and outside of your home. Using a personalized website address you can download and upload files to the shared folders on your home server.

• Increase Your Storage Capacity

Easily increase your data storage, by adding additional internal or external hard drives of any size, and install innovative add-ins to make the most of your home network. Network support Las Vegas.

• Extent Your IT Functionality With Add-Ins

Easily increase the functionality of your Windows Home Server with an add-ins and reduce your networking support needs.

In addition, home computers running earlier versions of Microsoft Windows, and computers running Apple MacOS 10.4 and higher, can easily connect to a home server over your home network to access files and media stored in the shared folders on the home server. Network support Las Vegas done right!

Neon Computers specialize in virus, spyware and malware removal, rogue security software and Trojan removal. We employ highly qualified and skilled data recovery professionals that do their best to recover data as much as possible. We offer in store and on-site computer repair services according to convenience of customers. We offer prompt, quality and practical solutions for your computer issues. Our professionals employ highly sophisticated technology for installation, repair, upgrading and maintenance of computer devices. You can get our services for various types of computer issues such as virus attack, data loss, disk corruption, invalid media error, DVD ROM error, partition error and FAT errors. Our technicians employ more advanced diagnostic tools to estimate your computer problem and issues, before resolving them with essential repair.

We offer high-tech services for major problems such as operating system failure, crashed hard disk, unreadable drives, missing files and corrupted servers. Our computer repair services are mainly significant for the offices having large computer system with servers such as Windows, Linux, RISC, Novell network and MAC OS. These systems cannot afford long and frequent downtime. Therefore we offer prompt recovery services for business computer system, as every minute of downtime leads to huge loss of your business. We offer sophisticated and quick computer repair services for large business computers. We offer recovery of important files when system crash or operate inconsistently. Our technicians employ rigorous check on media such as USB ports, thumb drives, flash cards, tape, DAT cartridge, internal and external hard disk and backups.

We offer excellent computer data recovery backup solution. It helps you to store your business data and retrieve it whenever you need. Data loss can result from accidental and sudden turn off of the computer. It mainly occurs due to virus attack on the computer. If your computer is not adequately protected against virus, you may have your all data erased. Storage media corruption and hardware system malfunction are quite probable and common cause for data loss in computer. It leads to various problems such as file deletion, dropped computer, lost of password and others. For computer data recovery, you either need to send hard drive and entire computer for fixing the issue.

Las Vegas is the most densely populated state of the United States of America. It is a very ideal location for an industry setup and brings in the highest median income in the entire United States of America. Thousands of people migrate to the state of Las Vegas for businesses of every size and type. It is a common fact that every business, small or large, depends on computers for giving satisfactory performance. So, it is very essential to take care of your computers as it can be very frustrating when you start your computer and it takes a long time to boot or to restart.

It is really a great challenge to keep your computer users fully secured against the uncountable risks that emerge every day. Although these gadgets have made lives simpler, but a single defect in it makes the user realize how much their lives depend upon this machine. What you probably do when your computers do not work according to expected standards? Somehow and somewhere, you surely want a reliable company that can help you out with all your problems related to computers.

Today, with the increasing rise of technology, where the demands of computers are rising at faster rate, more and more people are looking for reliable service providers for all their problems. Thousands of companies have come up like Computer repair Las Vegas Nevada who knows how important the computer is for you and offer service that exactly you need for your computer repair. Moreover, these companies also suggest you the right solution for your computer problem and diagnose your desktop computer or laptop for free with certified technology.

If you are looking for a reliable service provider in Las Vegas, you can easily rely on these companies as they provide you with best services at affordable rate. They are specialized in virus removal like spyware, malware, adware, rogue security software and trojan removal. Moreover, they are also data recovery specialists and provide data recovery services at affordable rate. These companies are backed by a team of talented professionals who have yearlong experience in the domain. They do their best to recover as much data as possible, regardless of the time they spend.

It is quite difficult to select a qualified Las Vegas computer repair service provider. Today, you can find thousands of service providers, but where you are also seeking a quality work at nominal price; make sure you have done your homework properly. The computer repairs market is very diverse in Las Vegas; therefore you must look for a computer repair company, which specializes in computer sales, computer repairs, computer upgrades, computer services, and more. Such companies can offer personalized solutions for every computer user as these companies are comprise of some of the very skilled and professional technicians.

The importance of the computer repair services is increasing day by day. This is the direct impact of the increase in the number of the computer used per year. Apart from the domestic users, the demand for the repair service has grown up a lot. With the increase in the demand, countless number of companies has started providing the computer repair services. The main reason for increase in the demand is computer data recovery.

A computer repair service doesn’t only mean that a mechanic with the countless number of devices visits an office and just dismantles the entire machine. The things have changed now. The concept of this service is broad enough and hence categorized under various points like companies which provide the physical manpower, who visits to an office or a home. This is the well-known and the oldest type of service.

Online computer repair courses helps a person in gathering the information regarding the subject that is computer repairing. Through this course a person can adapt a wholesome and necessary knowledge for the software and hardware problems.

Also the new way has arrived that is a person needs to register the complaint or the fault he is facing and in return receives a disc containing the solution. One just has to run that disc and follow the easy steps which occur in the screen while running the disc.

Computer repair services are also available at the street side stores but sometimes it becomes really harmful using those services. In an organization or in a big company no one will allow the usage of this cheap software as there would be dangers of the data lose. Recovering the lost data is not as simple as it looks like. Sometimes for the experts as well it becomes a challenge to recover the lost data. There are many companies and service providers who can offer you the computer repair services, however, make sure to choose the best one in industry for quality services.

It is important to ensure that the company you choose has earned a real big name in the industry and provide expert solution and support in the data recovery as well. Best company provides the best possible service and the support to their linked customers.  Also there are packages for the computer services in which customer have to pay a onetime charge for a particular period of time and can avail the free services for that particular period.

Modern laptop features run the gamut from small, simple, no-frills notebooks to large-screen, feature-rich desktop replacement systems. The trick is to find the right laptop for your needs without breaking the budget. It’s really all about features, so start with basic computing capabilities, and then look at some attractive business features. There are four main elements to any computer: the processor, memory, display, and storage capacity. For some users, portability is also a make-or-break consideration. Computer repair

Processors

A modern laptop processor includes two or four cores. This multiplies the laptop’s computing power if you have applications that can take advantage of the cores. Both Intel and AMD processors are excellent choices. Look for Intel Core i3 processors as a minimum, though Core i5 models are preferred. Laptops with Core i7 processors are best and may be found in high-end systems. On the AMD side, a business can consider AMD A-series and Athlon II X2 processors, while more sophisticated processors like the AMD Phenom II quad core will drive up the laptop’s price.

Memory

Almost every laptop manufactured today includes DDR3 (double data rate 3 memory), so it’s just a matter of picking the right amount. A good rule of thumb is to treat 4GB as a minimum; that’s plenty to run Windows 7 and several business applications simultaneously. You can get away with as little as 2GB of memory, but don’t expect peak performance, especially when engaging in memory-intensive tasks. Laptops with 8GB may fill the need for memory-intensive tasks like CAD, but expect to pay a premium.

Display

The size and resolution of the laptop display is a big differentiator in price. Systems with 15.6-inch low resolution displays are quite inexpensive. But consider spending more to move up to 900p (or even 1080p) displays. High-definition resolutions will be essential if you want to impress clients with high-definition video clips and other media-rich presentations. Displays at 17 inches will boost the system price, but a large display may be helpful for multitasking users. Generally, business users won’t need laptops that have high-end video cards).

Storage

You can find plenty of entry and mid-level laptops with hard drives ranging from 250GB to 320GB, which is plenty of space for many users. Larger drives might be better for storage-intensive tasks like video editing, but expect to pay a bit more for the additional storage.

HDMI output

An HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port will connect a laptop to a digital television. This offers a better-quality picture than conventional analog video cables, and is a great feature for sharing crystal-clear HD video and other media with clients on their HDTV.

Wireless Connectivity

Mobility requires wireless connectivity, and almost every laptop includes a standard 802.11g/n wireless adapter. But some mid-range business class laptops also provide additional high-speed communications capabilities such as built-in 4G mobile broadband, which can connect you anywhere there is cellular service available. This is an important feature for road warriors who need to be connected even when away from the SOHO’s wireless broadband router.

Memory Card Reader

Laptops may incorporate one or more memory card readers that support a variety of memory card formats such SD Secure Digital). This is a great feature for users who work with digital cameras.

Webcam

The inclusion of a webcam and microphone (usually atop the laptop’s display panel) is not new, but business users are now engaging in video conferences regularly. These features have a new emphasis on business laptops, and businesses can find webcams ranging from simple models to high-resolution 2.0-megapixel devices.

Security Features

Business information is sensitive and increasingly guarded by regulatory protections. This means laptop users need to demonstrate care and diligence to protect that data from theft. Some laptops incorporate biometric fingerprint readers or match the webcam with software to provide basic user facial recognition in addition to other laptop logon credentials.

Ports

The introduction of USB 3.0 provides transmission speeds to 5Gbps, which is much faster than USB 2.0. This can benefit business users that routinely work with high-speed peripheral devices such as video cameras and external mass storage devices. USB 3.0 is also backward-compatible with USB 2.0 devices.

Smart Computing | Nevember 2011 p.13

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Every operating system includes ways to tweak its features to match your preferences, and Windows 7 is no different. In this article, we’ll focus on changes you can apply to the Desktop and particularly the personalization features associated with backgrounds, the Start menu, Taskbar, and Desktop icons.

Change Your Background

Your Desktop background (also called wallpaper) doesn’t have to be the Windows default image: You can get creative and turn your background into a personal photo, a Windows-supplied image, a single color, or a photo outlined in color. If you can’t decide which image to use, it’s also possible to create a slideshow. To access your wallpaper settings, click Start and Control Panel. Type the words desktop background in the Search Control Panel field. Next, select Change Desktop Background. Note any images that you see immediately-if you would like to use one as your wallpaper, click it, and then click Save Changes. Alternatively, you can click the dropdown menu next to Picture Location to v w other categories. If you open Windows Desktop Backgrounds, seven photo groups will appear. Choose from Architecture, Characters, Landscapes, Nature, Scenes, United States, and Windows. The second category, Pictures Library, displays the images stored in My Pictures and Sample Pictures (Top Rated Photos includes Sample Pictures, too). There’s a broad-ranging palette of Solid Colors to choose from, as well, if you don’t want to be distracted by busy images. Your list may also include pictures from your Desktop or Internet Explorer. Next, navigate down to Picture Position and click the arrow to the right. This feature lets you customize the placement of a background picture. Selecting Fill will expand the image beyond every edge of the display. Fit doesn’t alter the image, but rather frames it instead. Stretch manipulates the pixels to fill the screen. Tile minimizes the size of the image and repeats it throughout the display. Clicking Center will place the image directly in the middle of the monitor. Additionally, you can modify slideshow settings in this window. To do so, c k the arrow under Change Picture Every and select the length of time you would like to see each photo on your Desktop. When you’ve completed all of these steps, click Save Changes. For the quickest option, you can turn any image into a Desktop background by right-clicking a photo and selecting Set As Desktop Background. Computer repair

Start Menu & Taskbar Options

The Start menu is one of three sections on the Taskbar, which is the horizontal bar that fills the bottom of your monitor. We’ll address the Taskbar’s middle section (that shows your Quick Launch toolbar) and Notification Area-the far-right section that displays alerts and program statuses-later. It’s also home to lists and features that help you find programs and folders in Win7. By clicking the Start button in the bottom-left corner of your screen, you’ll see all of the following: pinned programs, recently opened items, the Search box, the custom right pane, and the Shut Down command button. Pinning a program to the Start menu is one way to access it quickly, especially if you open several programs on a regular basis. To pin a program, locate it by entering its title in the Search box, right-clicking it, and clicking Pin To Start Menu. Rightclick any program in the Start menu and click Unpin From Start Menu it you want to take it off the pin list. Recently opened items will show up under your pinned programs, but you can remove them to declutter the menu if you like. To unpin your recently accessed programs, right-click the program and select Remove From This List. Everything on the other side of the Start menu comprises the right pane. This area provides inks to commonly accessed locations in Windows. The default locations are as follows: your personal folder (with the name you’ve assigned to it), Documents, Pictures, Music, Games (depending on which version of Windows you’re running) Computer (to link you to drives and hardware), Control Panel, Devices And Printers, Default Programs, and Help And Support. Win7 lets you manage the right pane through the Control Panel. Open the Control Panel, click Appearance And Personalization, and then select Taskbar And Start Menu. Choose the Start Menu tab and click the Customize button. When the Customize Start Menu dialog box opens, click your preferred options for the right pane items and click OK when you’re finished. Looking at the Taskbar in its entirety once again, realize that the items in the middle section of the Taskbar and that Taskbar itself are moveable. Anytime you open a file, folder, or program, Win7 assigns it a button in the Taskbar that you can use to minimize, maximize, and manage the aforementioned items. To reorder any item in the Taskbar, click and drag it to a new spot. To customize the Taskbar, right-click it and select Properties. Select the Taskbar tab, and in the Taskbar Appearance section, checkmark the options you want to apply to the Taskbar, change the Taskbar’s location, or modify Taskbar buttons. For the latter two you will choose from the options in their corresponding drop-down menus. In the Notification Area section, click the Customize button, and from here you will have the opportunity to change your notifications that are on the far right side of the Taskbar by clicking the associated drop-down menus, selecting behaviors for particular icons (such as Show Icon And Notifications or Hide Icon And Notifications), and clicking OK.

Icon Organization

Instead of accessing your folders and programs through the Start menu, you can create and use an icon for files and other items on your Desktop. These are called Desktop shortcuts. To add an icon to the Desktop, you will start by finding the file, application, or other item for which you want to create a shortcut. For example, if you want to make a shortcut for Microsoft Excel, locate it by clicking the Start menu, All Programs, and Microsoft Office. Right-click Microsoft Excel and select Send To. Next click Desktop (Create Shortcut). A new shortcut to that item will appear on your Desktop. To hide icons, right-click your Desktop, select View, and if you see a check mark next to Show Desktop Icons, uncheck it. To see all of your icons again, perform the same steps to reselect Show Desktop Icons. In the View menu, you’re also able to change the size of the icons: Simply click Small Icons, Medium Icons, or Large Icons. Want to get rid of an icon? Right-click it, click Delete and select Yes. (You may be asked for the administrator password. If necessary, type it in and proceed.)

Smart Computing | Nevember 2011 p.13

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Surveillance System Features

Homes and small businesses have just as much need for physical security as their warehouse and data center counterparts. But smaller organizations may not have the on-staff expertise or budget for a high-end security deployment. If this sounds like your situation, don’t worry. There are plenty of affordable ways to set up surveillance in your setting, and it doesn’t take a computer scientist to handle the networking. The first thing to remember is that you’ll likely have a much easier deployment, as well as more functionality for less money, if you opt for a surveillance system based on IP (Internet Protocol) networking rather than older, analog CCTV (closed circuit television) technology. CCTV still dominates in many stores, and professional security installers still opt for CCTV as a first choice because it’s where they have many years of experience. But you want digital, and we’re going to show why by examining a few security options. Computers Repair Las Vegas NV!

Elements Of A Solid Surveillance Kit

There are three basic things you want a security package to do:

1. Provide remote visibility into a given area.
2. Detect and record intruders.
3. Alert you through multiple means when intrusion is detected.

 Resolution

If you’ve ever compared a Blu-ray movie to its VHS equivalent, you know what a difference higher resolution can make. The more resolution (higher pixel count) you have, the more detail you get in a given field of view. If all you care about is seeing if an intruder is in an area, even 320 x 240 resolution will be sufficient. But if you want to make out the intruder’s facial features, you’re going to need more pixels.

Optics

The quality of the lens can have a significant impact on the surveillance image you see. Unfortunately, quality is subjective, and there are no mainstream ways of grading lens quality in cameras. Still, generally speaking, a $300 camera will provide better optical quality (and thus better image clarity) than a $100 camera, all other factors being equal. The quality of the sensor recording images from those optics can also play a role in defining clarity.

Audio

A camera with an integrated microphone will let you hear what’s being said or done in the camera’s environment. Some cameras offer a port for plugging in an external microphone. This usually adds overall cost but can yield superior audio clarity. Also note that some cameras include speakers, enabling two-way conversations between you and the people being observed and/ or the playback of a recording in case an intrusion alarm is triggered.

Movement

Most low-end cameras are fixed-position. Wherever the lens points, that’s what you see. However, many mid-range cameras incorporate motorized panning (side to side) and tilting (up and down) that you can control remotely. When trying to cover a broad area with only one or two cameras, “PT” capability is extremely useful. Higher-end cameras may offer optical zooming, just like on handheld still and video cameras. This feature is most useful in environments that are being actively monitored throughout the day. Note that some cameras may try to emulate PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) functionality digitally. This involves isolating a central part of an image, then scooting the borders of that cropped area around within the original image. You can’t see any additional detail with digital PTZ.

Remote storage

When triggered by an alert, some security cameras can store video straight into an inserted flash memory card (usually Secure Digital type). This enables video capture even if Internet connectivity is lost. Preferably, though, you want to store video away from the camera first, then on the camera as a backup measure. Some cameras can stream recordings straight into an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site, but most will relay streams back to a PC running some sort of surveillance client application.

Night vision

Cameras with excellent sensors may be able to capture clear images in very low light conditions, but in our experience, these are nearly useless for surveillance because shutter speeds become so slow. If the camera is only capturing two frames per second in near-dark conditions, any recorded movement is likely to look like a smear. The better approach is to use a camera with infrared lamps. Infrared is invisible to the eye, but most camera sensors treat it like regular light, so you get greenish/gray night vision footage. Even if your camera doesn’t integrate IR lamps, you can always buy a separate IR lamp and point it within the camera’s field of view.

Smart Computing | October 2011 p.71

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

When a business is first getting off the ground, it often starts out with a handful of networked computers. As the business grows over time and more people and computers are added, it soon becomes pretty tough to keep track of where important data files are stored, who is allowed to access them, and how-or even whether-they’re being backed up. When you arrive at this point, it pays to invest in a server to give your business centralized data storage, access control, and backup. Microsoft’s Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, which is a simplified and streamlined version of its Windows Server 2008 for large companies, provides all of these features and then some. It’s designed for small firms with 25 or fewer users, and you don’t need to be an IT guru to use it. We’ll show you how to set up an SBS 2011 Essentials server and connect your computers to it. Computer Repair Las Vegas NV

What You’ll Need

SBS 2011 Essentials has pretty modest system requirements, so it will run quite well on an entry-level, sub-$1,000 server. You can view the detailed requirements at tinyurl.com/4ux9eo. (It’s worth noting that SBS 2011 Essentials should not be confused with SBS 2011 Standard, a more powerful and expensive version for businesses with up to 75 users.) As of this writing, major server vendors aren’t yet offering products with SBS 2011 Essentials installed (though they likely will before long). An alternative to purchasing a server with SBS 2011 Essentials included is to buy one without an operating system and pick up a copy of the software separately to install yourself. A good choice for a basic server is the HP ProLiant MicroServer ($329; www.hp.com), which is small and quiet, reasonably powerful, and relatively inexpensive. You’ll find the SBS 2011 Essentials software for about $400 from a variety of online vendors. If you’d like to take SBS 2011 Essentials for a spin before buying it, download a 60-day trial version from tinyurl .com/4n63qw2.. You can extend the trial period twice for a total of 240 days visit support.microsoft .com/kb/948472 to see how) and convert the trial version to a licensed copy if you decide to keep it. (The steps outlined below apply whether you’re working with the evaluation or purchased copy.) In addition to your server computer, you’ll also want to get a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), an Internet connection via a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)-compatible broadband router, and for backup purposes, an external hard drive (USB, eSATA, or Firewire) with storage capacity equal to or greater than your server. The computers you connect to your SBS 2011 Essentials server can be running any version of Windows 7, Vista, or WinXP, including Home and Starter editions, or Mac systems running OS X 10.5 or higher. (This article focuses on setting up Win7 systems.)

Install SBS 2011 Essentials

Before installing SBS 2011 Essentials (which we’ll just call SBS from now on) on a server, be sure it has a wired Ethernet connection to your router and is plugged into the UPS-you don’t want the server to lose power, particularly during the lengthy setup process. Also, be sure there aren’t any external hard drives attached to the server just yet because they can cause the installation to fail. To install SBS, you must boot the server directly from the operating system DVD, so turn on your server and immediately look for a boot/startup menu option (often F2, F10, or F12) that will let you do this. When the SBS setup wizard starts, choose New Installation, verify that your server’s hard drives have been detected, and then click Install. SBS will carve out a 60GB partition on the primary hard drive for the operating system, and the remaining space/ drives will be available to store your data. If the wizard doesn’t detect any or all of your server’s hard drives, you’ll need to click the Load Drivers button and provide a disc that contains the necessary drivers. At this point the wizard will start copying files, and when it’s finished, SBS configuration can begin.

Initial SBS Configuration

The SBS setup wizard will now walk you through a number of basic server configuration steps. You’ll be asked to set the server’s date and time and enter your operating system license key (if you don’t have one yet, you can skip it for now). Then the wizard will prompt you to enter your company’s name, choose an internal domain name for your network, and name your server. Next up is to create a pair of user accounts. The first is an administrator account, which will only be used to manage the server. The second is your standard user account, which you’ll use to log in to the server for normal day-to-day activities such as accessing files, etc. (We’ll tell you how to set up additional user accounts later.) Note that SBS 2011 Essentials requires the use of strong passwords by default, so it will tell you if the passwords you choose for either of your accounts don’t make the grade. After you specify your server’s automatic update options (it’s a good idea to let the server update itself so it always has the latest security patches, etc.), SBS will begin configuring itself in a process that can take 30 minutes or longer and will involve several automatic reboots. When the wizard is complete, your server will greet you with the Windows Desktop sporting wallpaper that warns against using the system as a general purpose workstation. In fact, you generally won’t need to touch the server at all, because SBS is designed to be remotely managed from a PC via a Dashboard app. Log off the server now; it’s time to connect your first computer to the server, after which we’ll be able to continue with server configuration.

Connect Your First Computer

Go to your desktop or laptop, open your Internet browser, type http://<servername>/connect in the Address bar (where <servername> is the name you gave your server earlier), and click the link to install either the Windows or Mac software as appropriate. (Use the Run option rather than Save). If the above URL doesn’t work, open Windows Explorer and look for your SBS server under Network. Double-click it, and it should automatically open your browser to the appropriate page. When you run the connection software, it will install any necessary components your computer may be missing. Like the server installation, this process can take some time, and it will require at least one reboot. You’ll eventually be asked to provide the login information for your user account on the server-this is where you’ll enter the username and password you created for the standard account. After a reboot, you’ll get a few more questions, including whether you want to move your existing Windows account documents and settings from your existing Windows account to your new server account. (Unless you are setting up a brand-new computer, the answer should be yes.) When all is said and done, press CTRL-ALT-DELETE and log in to your server for the first time. After you log in, you’ll see shortcuts to the Launchpad and Dashboard applications on your Desktop. Launchpad puts various aspects of your server within easy reach, including shared folders, remote access, and the Dashboard, where remote server management is performed. There are a couple more things we need to configure on the server, so launch the Dashboard and log in sing the server’s administrator account. Beneath a row of tabs for managing users, computers, and server folders/hard drives, you’ll see a list of Getting Started tasks to perform (the check marks will turn green as each task is completed).

Configure Server Backup & Remote Web Access

Because you’ll be storing all your important business data on this server, it’s critical that you configure server backups ASAP. To do so, connect your external hard drive to the server and then click Set Up Server Backup. Proceed through the wizard to choose your backup drive (it will be formatted, so be sure it doesn’t contain any data you want to keep), and customize the backups if desired, though the default settings are fine SBS will automatically back up the entire server twice a day, at noon and 11 p.m. If you want the ability to access the Dashboard, your server’s data, and remotely control your computers from outside the office, you should set up the SBS Remote Web Access feature. Click Set Up Remote Web Access and then click the Turn On button to start the configuration wizard. SBS should be able to configure a UPnP router automatically, then it will give you the option to set up a domain name for free through Microsoft’s Windows Live service. If you prefer, you can opt to buy a dedicated domain name from a list of third-party providers or use a domain name you already own.

Create User Accounts & Shared Folders

You need to create accounts for additional users before you can set up their computers. To do so, click Common Tasks in the Dashboard and choose Add A User Account. Here, you’ll be able to create an account name and password, grant permissions to the company data folder (a personal data folder will also be created), and decide whether the person can use Remote Web Access. Once all of your users have accounts on the server, you can go to their respective computers and run the connect procedure just as you did with your own system. In addition to users’ individual data folders, which are found within the Users folder, SBS sets up a shared folder called Company where you can store all your business data. To create additional folders, use the Add A Shared Folder link under Common Tasks (you’ll be able to customize access to the folder for each of your user accounts).

What’s Missing

There are some features SBS 2011 Essentials doesn’t offer, such as an email server and the ability to maintain a public Web site for your business, but these are things most small businesses get from hosting providers anyway. It’s worth noting that Microsoft plans to integrate its Office 365 online subscription suite with SBS 2011 Essentials in the near future. If you’re currently trying to manage and protect your business data on collection of individual computers, you’ll find the task much easier with Small Business Server 2011 Essentials.

Smart Computing | October 2011 p.52

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Cloud computing is more than just a virtual playground for developers, now that Apple has announced the launch of iCloud (www.icloud.com), the company’s new wireless syncing platform and successor to the MobileMe (www .me.com) subscription-based service. Originally dubbed iTools about a decade ago and then renamed .Mac, MobileMe was released in 2008. Although support for MobileMe is slated to expire on June 30, 2012 for subscribers with accounts activated prior to June 6, 2011, Apple discontinued MobileMe availability in retail stores on Feb. 24 this year. The transition to iCloud will incorporate some features from MobileMe in addition to new cloud-based offerings. Moreover, iCloud will be offered at no charge for iOS 5 and OS X Lion users. At this time, MobileMe users can access data on certain programs, such as MobileMe Mail and Mac OS X Mail; Contacts and Bookmarks; iCal; and the multimedia created in iPhoto, iMovie, and iWeb, on multiple Apple devices. For instance, if you have an @me.com or @mac.com (f m the .Mac phase) email address, you can sync your Address Book, calendar events, and photos on your PC, MacBook, iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. Basic storage in MobileMe costs$99 per year for 20GB (or $149 a year for the Family Pack with a 20GB primary account and 5GB sub-accounts), whereas iCloud offers 5GB of free storage, unless you decide to buy a storage upgrade. Another $20 each year will get you 10GB of iCloudstorage. For $40, you’ll receive 20GB. And for $100, you have access to 50GB of space. Any purchased music, apps, books, TV shows, as well as the photos in Photo Stream (we’ll explain this later), “don’t count against your free storage,” Apple says. Although we could continue making MobileMe and iCloud comparisons, we’ll get right to it and cover the must-know info about iCloud in its beta stage, including current and upcoming features.

iCloud Raining Features

Mac Computer Repair – At press time, only the developer community could access iCloud. Apple will release iCloud as part of iOS 5, the next generation of its mobile operating system. iOS 5 is compatible with the following devices: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch third generation, iPod touch fourth generation, iPad, and iPad 2. Essentially, iCloud will function as an online service that lets you access almost all the content on the aforementioned devices (plus on a Mac or PC) whenever you like. By wirelessly pushing app content and multimedia to your devices, you don’t have to sync your mobile gadgets to your home computer, such as when you connect your iPod touch to your MacBook Pro in order to back up apps and music.

Music

In iCloud, you can purchase new music, TV shows, and movies via iTunes, and iCloud will push the song, episode, or film to the rest of your devices, regardless of which one you use to download the media. When you use this Automatic Downloads feature, you must have a broadband or mobile broadband connection for iCloud to sync content. iTunes tracks your purchase history, making it possible to get to previously purchased items on each of your devices. While both of these features are currently available as beta versions for the general public, an additional feature called iTunes Match will come with the official release. For $24.99 per year, iTunes Match will search your iTunes music collection for songs ripped from CDs or albums you’ve bought from other Web sites and back them up to iCloud.

Photos

The Photo Stream feature will send to iCloud any photo you capture via an iOS device or that you import to your PC or Mac from your digital camera. When they’re in the cloud, you can automatically access your photos on all your other devices, whether that’s in iPhoto, your Photos app, Photo Stream for the Apple TV, or your PC’s image library. iCloud will only save the 1,000 most recent photos on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad for 30 days, so your onboard storage isn’t overburdened by a massive digital photo collection. Also, your Mac or PC is the central hub for aving all of your Photo Stream pictures.

Documents & Books

If you create a document using the iWorks suite, you’ll be able to save your work and then manage the document (presentations, reports, etc.) on Apple devices. As of yet, iCloud doesn’t support thirdparty apps, but developers will soon be able to build apps that sync over Wi-Fi in the cloud. Buying one book from iBooks (or the iBookstore) is like getting up to five copies of the same book for no extra charge. For example, when you download your copy of the latest best seller, it’s ready to read immediately on the rest of your devices.

Apps & Backup

iCloud’s increased accessibility for all apps, past and present, lets you view every app you’ve downloaded on any device in the App Store’s purchase history. In the same way iCloud instinctively sends iTunes content and books to all Apple devices, it will do so with your apps. The Backup saves your iOS data, but incremental backups save the most recent changes you’ve made. In order to restore data over Wi-Fi, you’ll enter your Apple ID and password on the device and it will return as if you’d never lost it. What does iCloud Backup safeguard for you? Music, apps, books, photos, Camera Roll, video, settings, app data, the me screen, app organization, text messages, and ringtones.

Calendar & Communications

iCloud users will appreciate the collaborative aspects of the Calendar: If you share a Calendar and decide to make changes to a group appointment, iCloud updates the edited appointment on all iOS devices. To get emails pushed to your iCloud me.com email account, iCloud syncs your Inbox and folders, so you can view and respond to messages in real time. When you need to access a contact in Apple Mail or Microsoft Outlook, you can do so at www .icloud.com.

iCloud On The Horizon

If you’d like to get a notification in your Inbox about the official release of iCloud and iOS 5 to the public, submit your email address at www.apple.com /icloud/notify-me.

Smart Computing | October 2011 p.39

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Many of the default settings in Safari are activated to protect you as soon as you open the browser, while others may require some modification depending on your preferences.

Privacy Options

Safari is designed to filter the data that outside parties can access as you surf the Web. Certain Web sites that you visit use your stored data to track where you browse, but you don’t have to let sites retain that information. Additionally, you can personalize your cookies (small files that Web sites store on your PC) and limit how often Web sites can request your physical location. To customize these settings, open Safari and click the drop-down arrow next to the Settings “cog” icon. Select Preferences and click Privacy. Under the Remove All Website Data button, you’ll see a number listed next to Websites Stored Cookies Or Other Data. To view these sites, click Details. Y can delete individual Web sites or all sites to reduce browser tracking. Select a site and click Remove to get rid of one site at a time; click Remove All to clear the entire list (alternatively, you can just click Remove All Website Data in the Privacy pane). In the same dialog box, there are three options to block cookies: From Third Parties And Advertisers, Always, and Never. Click the option you prefer. If you want to limit Web sites’ access to retrieve your location, click Prompt For Each Website Once Each Day, Prompt For Each Website One Time Only, or Deny Without Prompting. The Private AutoFill feature doesn’t automatically fill out online forms, unless you allow it to. But, this is a good thing. When you start typing your information in a Web form, Safari displays a drop-down field, giving you the choice to allow Private AutoFill to complete the form (using your personal information from Outlook or Windows Address Book) or fill it out one box at a time. You can configure your AutoFill Web forms by selecting the AutoFill pane in Preferences (via Settings). Safari will automatically fill forms using information from your address book card if you select the associated box. And when you select the boxes next to User Names And Passwords and Other Forms, Safari remembers your saved user names and passwords, as well as any Web sites that have stored your AutoFill data. Click the Edit button next to either option to remove the aforementioned information from each preference. Safari includes a third concealment feature called Private Browsing. If you’re using a public computer in a public workplace, and you prefer not to expose sensitive information to people who use the computer after you, the Private Browsing feature will protect your browsing history. (It won’t prevent Web sites that you visit from gathering information.) Safari will not keep track of Web sites visited, search history, or AutoFill data. To switch to this browsing mode, click the Settings icon and choose Private Browsing. Click OK in the Do You Want To Turn On Private Browsing? dialog box. Click OK. For the duration of your Private Browsing session, the Private icon appears in the Smart Address Field (the Address bar). To turn off Private Browsing, simply click the Private icon and click OK when Safari asks Are You Sure You Want To Turn Off Private Browsing?

EV Certificates

Some Web sites choose to add extra security (encryption or third-party verification) to their sites in order to protect against Internet fraud. For instance, financial institutions and other businesses want to ensure that customers who navigate to their sites will feel safe when entering sensitive data. The Safari browser supports EV (Extended Validation) certificates, so you can quickly recognize a legitimate Web site. To know if you’re at a site that’s been authenticated, look for the name of the Web site displayed in green on the right side of the Address bar. Click the name and the Certificate dialog box will open. The Certificate Information listed should include what the certificate is intended for, which site it’s issued to, which organization verified it (such as VeriSign), and how long the certificate is valid.

Reset & Empty

You can refresh Safari by actuating two settings: Reset Safari and Empty Cache. Reset Safari lets you erase particular items associated with your browsing patterns, whereas Empty Cache will clear memory (visited Web pages, images, etc.) if you want to remove the content Safari has saved. To locate both of these settings, click Edit in the Menu Bar. Select Reset Safari and the browser will ask you if you want to reset. You should see a checklist of items to reset; by default all of the items will be checked. Uncheck any you don’t intend to reset and click the Reset button. If you click Empty Cache in the Edit menu, Safari will prompt you to click Empty or Cancel.

Configure The Security Pane

The Security pane is accessible through the Preferences menu. You can use these settings to lock or allow Web content and adjust security warnings. When the box next to Warn When Visiting A Fraudulent Website is checked, Safari will always provide a warning message whenever you log on to a potentially counterfeit site. Next to Web Content, there are four boxes that include the following settings: Enable Plug-Ins,Enable Java, Enable JavaScript, and Block Pop-up Windows. By selecting the boxes, you are giving Safari permission to execute those commands. Enabling a plug-in expands Safari’s capabilities, such as displaying images and playing music and video that may appear on certain sites you visit. Enabling Java means you are letting the browser show interactive features and Web page animation through a program used on some Web sites. Enabling JavaScript confirms that JavaScript software (use for Web tools, forms, etc.) is allowed to function normally each time you visit a site that uses the software. If you regularly go to sites that make use of pop-up windows (and the windows are legitimate and safe), you can uncheck Block Pop-up Windows to view the content in any new pop-up window. Additionally, leaving a check mark in the Ask Before Sending A Non-Secure Form To A Secure Website box permits Safari to display a warning when a site hasn’t provided a secure form for entering sensitive data.

Common Protective Features

Not unlike most secure Web browsers, Safari incorporates phishing, malware, and virus protection. When you come across a site that’s deemed suspicious or that appears to be a malware conduit, the browser proactively identifies and warns you. In the case of phishing, the browser may even stop the page from loading. Safari will also alert your antivirus software to scan attachments that you download. Virus Removal Las Vegas

Report Issues

If you notice any glitches in Safari that are related to security settings or other features, you can notify Apple about them. Click the Settings icon and select Report Bugs To Apple. Enter the Web page URL, describe the problem, indicate whether you’re sending a screen shot or source to Apple, and then click Submit.

Smart Computing | October 2011 p.33

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There’s good reason why many phones, tablets, and other mobile devices these days support a very non-mobile technology: Wi-Fi. In many parts of the U.S., as in many parts of the world, the 802.11b/g/n wireless networking standards simply offer better performance than nearby cell towers. Using Wi-Fi to tap into a business’s or home’s broadband Internet connection accelerates the downloads, uploads, streaming, and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) that smartphones and tablets can do so well-as long as they’re not constrained by outdated, congested 3G technology. Of course, the problem with Wi-Fi is the fact that your fast, local connection drops back to your wireless broadband plan as soon as you leave your company’s parking lot. If you’re still using 3G wireless broadband, you’re missing out on a lot of the capabilities that current mobile devices have to offer, such as video phoning. Looked at another way, there are resources being underused, and that could mean missed opportunities for your business. The placement for 3G is, as you might guess, 4G. Short for fourth generation, 4G is the name of a collection of faster wireless standards for mobile broadband. It’s also a catchier name than IMT-Advanced (International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced), which is the global network concept being developed by the ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication; www.itu.int). IMT-Advanced/4G involves a variety of technologies meant to speed up data transmissions and make them more reliable, including MIMO (multiple input/ multiple output antennas), IP packet switching, and dynamic resource usage. There’s also support for IPv6 Internet addresses, as well as for seamless coverage as the user travels between different types of cell networks.

4G Today

Today, the major carriers advertise several wireless broadband technologies as “4G.” Depending on who’s doing the talking, 4G may be LTE (Long Term Evolution), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access; 802.16), and/or HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access). Data rates average in the Mbps single digits, for the most part. Specifically, AT&T says that its HSPA+, an improvement on the 3G-era HSPA network technology, reaches 6Mbps. Sprint says that its WiMAX 4G system offers 3 to 6Mbps (megabits per second) speeds, while Verizon claims 5 to 12Mbps for its 4G LTE network. Finally, T-Mobile says that its 4G HSPA+ offering averages almost 10Mbps in download speeds with a 21Mbps peak transfer rate. Footnotes on the company’s site furthermore mention an augmented HSPA+ network with 42Mbps peak speeds in limited areas. These numbers are a far cry from the ITU-R’s initial goals for 4G, let alone the 128Mbps and 100Mbps theoretical maximums of current WiMAX and LTE technologies, respectively. Still, they’re definite improvements over the aging 3G, providing more speed and less latency. (Note that network speeds will drop when you’re moving quickly, such as in a car or on mass transit.)

Get It

Clear Store Las Vegas – In order to get 4G, you’ll need a phone, tablet, or other device that supports it. If your current phone or device is capable of using the 4G network of your current carrier, upgrading may be as easy as turning on the 4G radio in your phone’s settings. You might also have to run an update on your device for full compatibility. If your tablet, phone, or other device isn’t compatible with 4G—or at least the type of 4G offered in your area— you’ll need to change to a new mobile device. The easiest path here is to make the move to the one or device offered by your local 4G carrier of choice.

Giga-wow

Future plans for 4G technology include a 1Gbps (gigabits per second) evolution of LTE called LTE Advanced, as well as a 1Gbps version of WiMAX called WirelessMAN-Advanced or 802.16m (WiMAX 2). For perspective, those are faster than the wired networks in many homes and businesses. It truly is an exciting time in mobile gadgetry.

Smart Computing | October 2011 p.27

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When a computer’s memory falters, tying a string around the mouse cord won’t help much. Computer Repair Las Vegas

Memory Demystified

System memory, also known as DRAM (pronounced dee-ram; dynamic random access memory), plays the role of messenger between your computer’s CPU and its main storage, holding all temporary data your computer needs to run programs and background processes until the CPU needs it or until it is written semi-permanently to the PC’s main memory, which consists of a hard disk drive or SSD (solid-state drive). For instance, when you launch Internet Explorer, the system copies all data related to the running of that program from the main storage to system memory. As you browse, system memory plays tag with your browser cache to alternately store and display the contents of your browsing session. When you launch another program, system memory loads data from that application, and any other applications you launch, as well as a multitude of background processes. Shedding Light On DIMMs System memory comes in two form factors, DIMM (dual inline memory modules) for desktop memory and SODIMM (small outline DIMM) for notebook memory. Memory modules in most modern PCs are either DDR2 or DDR3, though some older PCs may still be running DDR. We’ll explore the differences later on, but it’s important to note that each memory type has a notch carved in it among the metal contacts that correlates to specifically keyed memory slots. This ensures that you can’t plug a DDR3 module into a motherboard that only supports DDR2, and vice versa, and it also ensures you install them in the right direction.

When To Upgrade

You’ve probably heard that upgrading your system memory can speed up your PC. A system memory upgrade will improve how your PC performs if the sluggish performance is due to a system memory shortage. This is because as soon as your PC runs out of available system memory, it turns to virtual memory, which is just a fancy term for main storage that acts like system memory. When this occurs, you’ll typically notice a dramatic slowdown, because reading and writing data from main memory is incredibly slow. The hard drive, and even its faster sibling the SSD, were not built to be read and written to constantly as you open new programs and manipulate files during your computing session. If you have plenty of system memory already, upgrading to slightly faster modules will only marginally improve your overall PC performance, and you may not even notice the difference. You can reasonably assume that your PC needs a system memory boost if performance appears to slow down as you launch more programs, if your PC is more than three years old and has not already had a system memory upgrade, or if you know that multiple background processes and a few foreground programs running simultaneously are bogging down your system. You may also consider upgrading your system memory if you do not have enough, Computer Repair Las Vegas.

Check Your QVL, ASAP

When you decide that it’s time to upgrade, there are several specifications you have to know in order to purchase system memory that will work with your motherboard. Because motherboard and system memory compatibility can be difficult to determine, we suggest that you consult your PC or motherboard manufacturers’ Web sites and look for a QVL (qualified vendor list), which lists brands and part numbers of all the memory modules that have been tested and shown to work with the particular motherboard. Your motherboard or PC manual may include a QVL among its pages, but check online for the most up-to-date information. It’s important to consult the QVL first, because even if you purchase memory that should work in your motherboard (but that isn’t on the list), sometimes it just won’t. If you cannot find a QVL, or want to make sure the modules recommended in it are indeed appropriate for your PC, read on for all the facts you need to note when choosing the right system memory for your upgrade.

Capacity concerns

There are three limiting factors when it comes to system memory capacity. The first is the current peak capacity of memory modules available, and the second is the number of memory slots that exist in your motherboard. As of this writing, 4GB modules are widely available. Most midrange motherboards come with four memory slots and low-end models can have as few as two. That means that on your average midrange motherboard, you’ll be practically limited to 16GB of system memory, and low-end motherboards will be limited to 8GB. The third limiting factor is your operating system. Avid Smart Computing readers will also recall that processors were once a system memory barrier, but nearly every processor sold in the last five years is capable of accessing more than 4GB of memory. Although processors effectively punched through the 4GB system memory limit long ago, 32-bit, consumer-centric versions of Windows, including WinXP/Vista/7, recognize only capacities of 4GB or less. To determine if you’re running a 64-bit or 32-bit operating system, click Start, right-click Computer, and click Properties. Look under the System Type heading and you will see whether you’re running a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. If you see 32-bit, then stick with 4GB of memory. If you see 64-bit, then feel free to purchase 4GB or more.

Speed specifications

Memory manufacturers measure the speed of memory modules in both MHz (megahertz) and MTps (megatransfers per second). For instance, a DDR3-800 module has an 800MHz data transfer rate (technically, 200MHz quad-pumped), but the same module is also listed as PC3-6400, which tells you that it has a theoretical bandwidth of 6,400MTps. Your PC or motherboard will be limited to a memory with a given speed, so don’t buy memory rated above that number. System memory also comes with a CAS (column address strobe) latency rating, which appears as four numbers separated by dashes (i.e. 3-4-4-8). There’s a lot of information on CAS latency that falls outside the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that it simply describes the number of clock cycles required to perform various memory-specific operations. Lower numbers mean that the memory can do more in less time, but higher-speed memory modules will generally have higher CAS latency numbers. There aren’t many limitations here you need to know about, so as long as the speed of your new modules (listed as DDRXXXX or PCX-XXXX) matches the specs of your PC or motherboard, you’re in good shape.

Channel choices

Generally speaking, system memory is sold in pairs (for dual-channel) and threes (for triple-channel). This is because matched memory modules have the same latency settings, speeds, and capacities to best ensure the highest throughput. A system with dualchannel memory can read and write data to two memory modules at once. Some of the latest processors can also talk to three memory modules at once, and these are called triple-channel systems. The takeaway here is that it’s better to replace your old memory modules instead of simply adding more, one stick at a time. Non-ECC & unbuffered. Memory also comes in ECC/non-ECC (error correcting code) and buffered/unbuffered varieties. All you need to know is that these are features that cater to servers, and you don’t need them. Just get non-ECC unbuffered memory.

The Shortcut

Visit Computer Repair Las Vegas. Although we’ve walked you through the three main specs you need to know, speed (in MHz or MTps), capacity (in GB), and channel (dual or triple), there’s an even easier way to determine the memory that is compatible with your PC or motherboard. Just visit www.patriot memory.com/configurator and use the drop-down menus and Go button to select your system or motherboard. It’ll tell you everything you need to know, even recommend the Patriot Memory modules currently available for your system.

Install The Memory

Now that you’ve acquired the appropriate memory module upgrades for your PC, we need to install them. If you’re installing memory modules on a PC you’re building, then you should ideally install them before installing the motherboard in the case. Otherwise you need to start by opening up your system. First, power down the computer and remove the power cable. Remove the case side panel to access the motherboard, making sure to discharge static electricity before touching any of the internal components by simply touching any metal portion of the case. Next, locate the DIMM slots on the motherboard. They’re typically labeled as such; they’re long and narrow and generally appear adjacent to the processor socket. To remove your existing memory modules, press your thumbs firmly on the tabs at either side of the slot so that they rotate away from the edges of the module. Also, before inserting the new memory, make sure to unlock these tabs on any empty memory slots you plan to fill. Next, unless you plan to fill all of the memory slots, you need to determine which modules should go into which slots. For instance, if you are installing four modules, and you only have two matched pairs of system memory, you’ll want to make sure each matched pair is running on one channel. There’s no hard-and-fast rule here: Motherboard manufacturers occasionally group slots that correspond to the different channels together or use different colored slots to denote channels. The only way to know for sure is to consult your motherboard or PC manual. When you know which slots to populate, remove the new system memory from its packaging and line up the notch in the module with the key in the slot, then gently but firmly press straight down on the new module until it slides into place. Do not force the module into place. If you’re having difficulty, doublecheck that you purchased the appropriate memory for your PC. Often, the tabs will engage once a module is fully inserted, but press them inward gently if this does not occur. Repeat this process for each new module you install. Finally, replace the cover on your PC, reattach the power cable and plug it into the wall socket. When you press the Power button, your PC should boot and recognize the new memory immediately. To verify that your new memory is there, click Start, right-click Computer, and click Properties. Look at the right side of the window under the Installed Memory heading and you will see the capacity of your system memory.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.67

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General Tips

Preventive maintenance is a way to schedule your printer’s downtime when it’s convenient. It’s certainly better from a business point of view than letting the printer go until it malfunctions, which will never happen at a good time.

Cleaning

One of the primary ways to keep your printer operational is to keep it clean. It’s a device that physically moves pieces of paper through itself. If it’s an inkjet, it physically moves print heads back and forth as it applies ink to a page. If you allow paper dust and scraps to accumulate in the paper pathways of the printer, performance will suffer in a variety of ways. Its rollers won’t grip the paper as well as they should, which can lead to printing errors and paper jams. Printer Repair Las Vegas – Paper dust can absorb lubricants, leading to premature wear of moving parts. And of course, debris can obstruct the application of ink or toner, resulting in spotty prints. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning out your printer every so often, depending on how much your office uses it. For instance, it might have access panels to let you vacuum or blow out dust. Also, the vendor may recommend cleaning the rollers now and again with acetone or a damp cloth.

Ventilation

Laser printers, all-in-one MFPs (multifunction printers with fax, copy, and scan functions), and certain inkjets can generate significant amounts of heat, especially if they see a lot of use. In fact, a laser contains a fuser whose job it is to melt the particles of toner onto each page. If heat can’t escape through the printer’s vents, it can cause print errors or even damage to the printer’s electronics. Make sure there are several inches of unobstructed space on all sides of your office printer.

Cabling

Sometimes, it’s the simple things. Ensure that your printer’s data and power cables are plugged in correctly. Also, keep the cords out of high traffic areas.

Cycle the power

Quirky behavior can sometimes be corrected by powering down the printer. Wait a minute before you turn it back on.

Drivers

Before you upgrade the OSes on your office PCs, make sure you can get compatible drivers for your printer . When Microsoft, Apple, and others release new OSes, printer manufacturers may only develop new drivers for their more recent models. Printer Repair Las Vegas - A printer that is four or more years old may still work perfectly fine, but if the new OS doesn’t support it, you may need to connect the printer to a PC with an older version. Speaking of drivers, uninstalling and reinstalling a printer has helped us fix problems such as print jobs that never actually print. If you want to do this, always download the latest driver from the manufacturer first.

Network Printers

Recent networkable printers are typically easy to set up using a wired Ethernet connection to a router or switch, assuming you follow the manufacturer’s installation and setup instructions. That said, you might have the best luck if you set up the printer using a USB-connected laptop, and then hook it up to the network. If the printer is an all-in-one MFP, be extra careful to put the cables in the correct ports. For example, we’ve seen RJ-9 telephone/fax/dial-up modem cables plugged into RJ-45 Ethernet ports, and no, they won’t work that way. Many units now have built-in wireless capabilities, which let you place your printer where it’s needed without worrying about routing a cable to it. One problem with a Wi-Fi printer connection is the need for an encryption passphrase that’s strong, but also supported by every device on the WLAN. For instance, say your WPA2 passphrase includes letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. If your printer doesn’t let you type in special characters when you’re setting up its wireless encryption, you may have to update its firmware or remove the punctuation from the passphrase in your router’s settings (not to mention the rest of the wireless devices on the network). And even if the printer does support special characters, there may be a limitation or two. For instance, we found that a recent MFP wouldn’t accept a passphrase with spaces at the end of it-the printer would simply ignore the spaces. We overcame the hurdle by changing the passphrase in our router’s settings by adding a letter after the spaces. Once we propagated the change to the printer and our other devices, we had a working Wi-Fi link.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.50

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Here’s a passel of advice for common mishaps in the Windows world – Las Vegas PC Repair.

Freezes

When an application hangs, or freezes, it’s best to give it a few minutes to recover, especially if your hard drive activity light is lit or blinking. If the app remains frozen, press CTRL- SHIFT-ESC to launch the Task Manager. In the Applications tab, select the program and click End Task. No joy? Click the Processes tab, select the application’s main process (be careful to pick the right ones-check ProcessLibrary.com for help), and click End Process. If your computer hangs soon after you connect a removable device to it, such as a USB flash drive or an external hard drive, disconnecting the device may help. In the System Tray/Notification Area, click the Safely Remove Hardware And Eject Media icon, then the device, if it’s present. If it isn’t listed, go ahead and unplug the device. Some hangs can only be fixed by shutting down the computer and restarting it. Click Start and Shut Down. Give Windows time to end every process; if it asks whether it should kill a stubborn application that’s unresponsive, let it. If the normal shutdown method doesn’t work, try pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE and then clicking the red Shut Down icon. These OS-based shutdown procedures are less likely to lose data than the next options, which involve a bit of tough love. If your system is completely locked up, meaning the drive activity light is off and you can’t even move the mouse pointer, press and hold your PC’s power button for five or more seconds. (If you simply pr s and release the power button, many computers will enter Sleep or Hibernate mode, or try to perform a Windows shutdown.) If the power button doesn’t do anything, you can unplug the computer’s AC power cord. On a desktop, you may have the alternative of flipping the switch on the rear of the power supply. For a laptop, you should also remove its battery for a minute or so.

No power

You try to turn on your computer, but nothing happens. Check the power cable connections from the back of the PC all the way to the wall outlet, including the switch on the power strip or surge protector. Sometimes trying a different outlet helps. Speaking of surge protection, if your power strip’s reset button has been tripped, a lightning strike or other electrical event may have caused a spike, sag, or surge on the line. Determine the cause, so you can take action if there’s a fault in your building’s wiring or too much load on the circuit, such as from a space heater, shop vacuum, or welder. Never re-use a tripped surge protector, as its protection circuit is designed to take damage so your electronic equipment doesn’t. Buy a new one. If your PC won’t start right after you installed a new drive or graphics card, and all power cables are hooked up, you might need a new power supply with more wattage. A partial lack of power (the case fans work, but the rest of the PC doesn’t) may indicate a fried motherboard or dead processor.

Blue screen errors

As with other cryptic error messages, a Web search is your best bet or visit Las Vegas PC Repair. Write down the STOP number, such as 0x000000F4, and any text regarding the type of error, such as Driver Power State Failure. If your PC reboots before you can catch the blue screen information, turn off automatic restarting in case it happens again. Press PAUSE-WIN. Click Advanced System Settings, the Advanced tab, and the Settings button under Startup And Recovery. Uncheck Automatically Restart and click OK.

Suddenly slow performance

Launch the Task Manager by pressing CTRLSHIFT- ESC. Click the Performance tab to see whether your CPU is busy or your RAM (and thus your swap file) is getting a lot of use (more than 1.5GB). If either or both of these are happening, click the Processes tab. Look for processes that have high numbers in the CPU or Memory column. If the Description column or process name indicates a particular application, shut the app down, restart it, and/or update it. For chronically slow performance, defragment your hard drive and make sure it has at least a few GB of free space. Consider upgrading with an SSD, a hybrid drive, and/or more RAM.

An Ounce Of Prevention

PC trouble is no fun. And in a business, lost productivity is lost revenue. Las Vegas PC Repair is the way to go. That’s why it’s best to try and avoid problems by tucking cables away from walkways, keeping your antivirus current, and enabling WPA2 encryption on your Wi-Fi network. Ensure that every laptop and desktop has good ventilation and clean fan grilles. Finally, try to make only one change to your PC at a time. That way, a problematic new device, update, or application will be easier to identify.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.48

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It’s not really going out on a limb to say that if you run a business, you have one or more computers. And if you have computers, you occasionally have problems. Desktops and notebooks give us guff sometimes. Connections get disconnected. Software goes south. Hardware goes “poof,” and as IT guys like to joke, it doesn’t work after you let the smoke out. Troubleshooting PCs is obviously a huge topic. We’ll cover a lot of ground with the following suggestions, so bear with us if we can’t provide step-by-step instructions for every fix. Las Vegas PC Repair – We’ll use Windows 7 as our example OS in this article, but many of the tips also apply to earlier versions and computers with other OSes, too.

General Solutions

No matter how silly it sounds, always check the obvious stuff when a PC problem crops up. Yes, we’re talking about making sure that your computer is turned on, that it’s plugged in, all cables are still attached, and so on. You’ve got a business to run; you don’t have time to waste running down increasingly unlikely causes for a dead notebook when its battery isn’t fully seated.

Restart

It’s true: Restarting a Windows computer really can correct a variety of ills. For maximum effect, shut down the misbehaving PC and then unplug its power cord for 30 seconds or so. Plug it back in, turn it back on, and marvel.

Error messages

Windows and many apps have come a long way in giving you error messages you can easily understand. Still, it’s pretty typical to see badly written or numeric error codes that can leave you scratching your head. Jot these down and use your favorite search engine, such as Google, to look them up online. If you don’t find anything relevant in the first page or two of results, try a different search engine.

Update it

It’s the norm for manufacturers to release updates for their computer products. Downloadable patches can correct issues, add features, improve compatibility, and close security holes. Perhaps you can fix your PC problem with an update to the relevant device driver or firmware, application (although upgrades to a newer major version number usually aren’t free), motherboard BIOS (basic input/ output system), and so on. Be sure to download the correct update for your device model/version and your OS, and follow the manufacturer’s installation procedure exactly Las Vegas PC repair. This is especially important for firmware and BIOS updates, as these can brick a device if installed improperly. Always back up an SSD or hard drive’s data before you flash its firmware.

Do over

As you may know, System Restore can roll your Windows system back in time, so to speak. If you have a software problem and you suspect you know what caused it (such as a new program installation or a settings change), System Restore may let you return your PC to a previous state. Press PAUSE-WIN (the Windows logo key), click System Protection, and then click System Restore. On a finer scale, you can reverse smaller changes such as a bad driver upgrade without using System Restore’s broad brush. Press PAUSE-WIN, click Device Manager, and double-click the category of the device in question, such as Display Adapters. Double-click the device, such as ATI Mobility Radeon X1300. Click the Driver tab, and then click Roll Back Driver. You can even uninstall Windows Updates that cause problems. Click Start, Control Panel, and Programs And Features. Click View Installed Updates, and then select the update and click Uninstall. Of course, we don’t recommend that you remove any security-related updates unless you have no other option.

Reseat

Occasionally, parts may be physically connected to each other without a good electrical connection. A worn contact, a speck of dirt, or a teensy misalignment is all it takes to cause an open circuit, and that means a device won’t work. With the PC off, you can disconnect and reconnect items such as external and internal cables, memory modules, and expansion cards. Sometimes reseating an item returns it to active duty. Work carefully, and be sure to dispel static electricity by touching something metal before you touch your computer.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.47

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Get Reconnected

Network access is more important than ever today. For example, cloud computing has made it possible to store our most important emails, documents, images, and other files on a server that we can access anywhere with Internet access. And some applications no longer include installation discs, because you’re expected to be able to download the program from the company’s Web site. As such, it can be a real pain when your network is down, slow, or unreliable.

General Troubleshooting

Two of the most common failure points with networks are your router and the modem. Las Vegas Computer repair – Fortunately, the router is one of the easiest computing devices to fix. Simply turn the router off and turn it back on. This is called power cycling. Often, power cycling the router will allow it to overcome bugs that have caused it to become unresponsive. For example, the router may have had an issue where it could no longer renew its IP address or release new IP addresses for the computers on your network. Power cycling is similar to restarting your computer, in that the software inside the router is restored to a known good state. Similarly, you may need to power cycle the cable,DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), or satellite modem connected to your router to reset the device’s software. If power cycling the router or modem didn’t help, your network adapter is the next component to troubleshoot. You can use the Network Diagnostic utility built into Windows to help find the problem. The Microsoft utility can automatically enable disabled network adapters or request that the router renew your computer’s IP address. To run Network Diagnostic in Windows 7, click the Start button, select Control Panel, choose Network And Internet, and select Network And Sharing Center. Under View Your Active Networks, select the link next to Connections and click the Diagnose button. Windows will run a few tests and may attempt to reset your network adapter. If the Network Diagnostic doesn’t find anything, it’s a good idea to try and reboot your computer. With a wired connection, you’ll also want to check that the Ethernet cable running between your computer and router is firmly connected on both ends. With a wireless connection that uses a USB adapter or PC card, you should also try to remove the wireless adapter d reinsert it to see if it was loose.

Wired Troubles

Problem:

My network connection drops intermittently.

Solution:

There are a variety of reasons you could experience this problem, but one of the more common causes is a problem with the driver for your wired network adapter. With most computers, the wired network port is built into the motherboard, rather than an add-on card, so the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard will provide downloadable drivers for the network adapter. It’s also possible that there’s a new driver available that’s been released to fix the problem you’re currently experiencing. If your computer doesn’t include a name or model number on the exterior, you can figure out who made the motherboard by using CPU-Z (free; www.cpuid.com) from CPUID. On the CPU-Z Web site, click the download link under Download Latest Release and then click the Download Now button. When it finishes downloading, click the Run button and open the CPU-Z program. It will quickly scan the computer and tell you about the specific hardware on your computer. To find out the brand and model number of the motherboard, click the Mainboard tab and look in the Manufacturer and Model fields. Write down the motherboard manufacturer and visit the vendor’s Web site. For example, MSI’s Web site (us.msi.com) features a Downloads tab, which will link you to a page where you can enter MSI products to quickly find drivers, BIOS updates, firmware, and patches. MSI also offers a Live Update Online utility that will scan your PC for drivers and BIOS updates, so you can always keep them up-to-date. You’ll also want to check the physical network connections to see if everything is still securely connected. A connection that’s loose may explain why the connection drops intermittently. It’s possible that the cable may have a cut or kink that causes a fault in the connection. Try replacing the Ethernet cable with a new one, or one that you know works fine.

Problem:

My connection is occasionally slow.

Solution:

One of the most common reasons for a slow connection is that you are sharing the Internet service with otherswho are using up the bandwidth. For example laptop repair Las Vegas, video streaming or downloading large files uses a lot more bandwidth than browsing the Internet. As such, you may notice a drop in Web speed when others in your household or office are using up the available bandwidth. If you notice that your Web experience slows to a crawlwhen others are online, you may need to talk with your ISP (Internet service provider) about getting a faster service. If you use cable Internet, it may also be possible that your connection is affectedby the number of people online in your area. Cable Internet is sent over the sameline as cable TV, and you may share the line with a large number of other people. When many people in your area are online or watching TV,you may experience a drop in your connec on speed. Similarly, DSL users may see a slight drop in speed when other devices connected to your landline, such as a telephone or fax machine, are in use.

Problem:

The networking icon in the Notification Area of Windows indicates I have local network access, butno Internet access.

Solution:

This means that Windows can see your router and access shared files from other computers on your network, but it cannot access the Internet through the router. To fix the problem, power cycle the router by turning it off and back on.

Wireless Problems

Problem:

My wireless connection occasionally disconnects and is generally weak.

Solution:

Assuming that you’re trying to connect to the Wi-Fi signal within a reasonable distance (most routers support a range of up to 150 feet), it’s likely that the wireless router is experiencing interference in the signal. Common interference-causing devices include microwaves, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, landline phones, and mobile phones. Generally, the interference will be worse if the device causing the problem is close to the router. Try moving the router to a different location where it will be less affected by the signals. The radio waves from your router also become weaker the further they travel. And depending on the types of materials in your building, you may be forced to move the router to a location where the signal has a more direct path to you. We’ve found that drywall is much easier for Wi- Fi signals t pass through than metal, mirrors, concrete, and brick. For example, we had trouble when we moved our PC to a location near air vents, because the metal duct work reflected signals more than the drywall on the other side of the room. f the signal seems weak no matter where you locate the router or PC, you may want to consider investing in a powerline network, which is a technology that uses the power lines in your home to transfer network data. For example, Las Vegas Computer repair Trendnet recently released a500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit ($164.99; www.trendnet.com) that provides your PC with consistent, wired Ethernet speeds. With a powerline networking kit, you’ll receive two adapters: one that connects to the router via Ethernet cable, and one that connects to your PC via Ethernet cable. Once set up, you’ll enjoy high-speed Internet without the inconvenience of stringing cable through walls or around corners.

Problem:

My wireless adapter sees a number of local networks, but not the one I wish to connect to.

Solution:

For security, many businesses and home owners configure their router so that the network does not broadcast an SSID (Service Set Identifier), which is the network name that appears when your device looks for networks. If you know the network exists and you’re not finding it, you may need to speak to someone about providing you the SSID and security code. For example, you’d want to talk with the IT department about wirelessly connecting in your office. Once you have the SSID and password, you can manually connect to the wireless network. It’s also possible that the network may be broadcasting using a standard not supported by your PC. Nearly all new routers broadcast using the 802.11n standard, which is backward compatible with 802.11g and 802.11b devices. However, an 802.11n router is only backward compatible with older standards if the router is configured to work in Mixed Mode (a setting where the router supports connections from any 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n devices).

Problem:

I can’t see any networks at all, and when I click the Connect To A Network link, a message says that Windows Cannot Find Any Networks.

Solution:

It would seem that there’s a problem with your wireless adapter. You can use Device Manager in Windows to help spot the problem. To do so in Windows 7, click the Start button, right-click Computer, and select Properties. Click Device Manager (in the upper- left corner) and double-click Network Adapters, which will display the available network connections on your computer. Typically, the wireless adapter will have the word ‘wireless’ or a standard, such as ‘802.11n,’ as its title in Device Manager Double-click the wireless adapter and look in the Device Status section of the general tab. Any problems will generally be listed with an error code, which you can look up at Microsoft Support (support. microsoft.com). You may also need to reinstall the existing driver (or install a new driver) for your wireless adapter.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.44

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From time to time, a little maintenance is needed to keep your Mac uncluttered. Here are a few tips for putting your Mac in order.

Tidy Up

Las Vegas Computer repair – As with any maintenance or cleaning operation, the first thing you should do is simply tidy the place up a bit. Unless you’re quite fastidious, you likely have a smattering of rarely used files and folders cluttering your desktop. Find a folder to stash all those files in. By default, Apple gives you folders including Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and more. Most (if not all) of your files can go in one of those folders, or at least a sub-folder. Which leads us to those stray folders on your desktop: You should put them in one of the folders in your Finder. It’s easy to do-just drag and drop them to the appropriate spot. If you need to make a new folder or sub-folder, just navigate to the appropriate location in Finder, click the gear icon at the top of the window, select New Folder, and enter a title for it. If your Dock is full of applications and you want to remove a few for simplicity’s sake, just click an icon (with the application closed) and drag it off the dock. It’ll vanish in a puff of virtual smoke. This doesn’t delete the application-it simply removes the icon from your Dock.

Delete What You Don’t Need

While you’re moving files and folders hither and yon, be sure you dump items you no longer need into the Trash. This goes for files, folders, and even applications. There are likely a few applications that you no longer need or want, and there’s no reason to let them linger. You can click and drag most items to the Trash to delete them, but some applications require a few additional steps-simply dragging the application’s icon to the trash isn’t always enough. Las Vegas virus removal.

Completely Remove Applications

On a Windows Desktop, deleting an application’s icon deletes only that tiny thumbnail image-not the actual application and associated folders, which are stored elsewhere and can take up a lot of space on your hard drive. (That’s why the Add/Remove Programs tool is necessary.) But Mac applications are “bundled,” which means that the application icon is actually a dressed-up folder that contains most of the data associated with the application. (Pretty slick, huh?) Thus, if you drag the icon to the Trash, you’re actually removing the application and most of the associated folders and files. However, there are still some little files left behind. To get rid of all traces of an application, look in the Application Support and Preferences folders. To get there, click the username in the Places area f the Finder, click Library, and then click the Application Support or Preferences folders. Under each of those folders in turn, scroll down until you see a folder with the name of the application you wish to completely delete. Click and drag the folders to the trash. And remember, just as you have to drag a sack full of junk to the garbage can outside, when you’re done deleting all those files, you need to empty the Trash. Click the Trash icon on the Dock, and when it opens, click the Empty button in the upper right corner of the window. When prompted, click Empty Trash. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy your freshly uncluttered Mac.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.36

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In September 2009, Microsoft announced the official release of MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials), its free security software. Fast-forward nearly two years, and MSE is still cruising along, protecting millions of Windows XP/Vista/7 computers (more than 31 million as of September 2010, per Microsoft). MSE has been independently certified for desktop and server virus detection and for desktop virus cleaning by virus testing firm ICSA Labs (Windows XP/Vista/7). It received the Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs, scored very well with AV-comparatives.org, and was recently awarded the VB100 award by Virus Bulletin. So, is it a product you can rely on as your primary antimalware application? How does it stack up to the top-tier security suites? We recently gave it a test drive to see.

What MSE Offers

Microsoft Security Essentials offers straightforward, real-time protection against viruses and other malware, including rootkits, Trojans, spyware, and keyloggers. It also scans everything on your hard drive or your external drives, if you turn that feature on), from executable (program) files to email messages and multimedia files. It protects against malware that arrives via instant message or syncing with another device (it scans files locally, not on the device you are syncing with). It doesn’t protect against malicious invaders such as hackers (it leaves that task to your firewall). Nor does it defend against spam or phishing attacks, which can be handled by your email client and browser, respectively. Finally, it offers no protection against identity theft, which is generally a consequence of malicious invasion or bad Internet habits-two activities it doesn’t scrutinize. In other words, it is not a comprehensive security suite and does not pretend to be. Rather, it fills the security gaps not covered by Microsoft’s related, free Windows add-ons-Windows Firewall, Internet Explorer, and Windows Mail or Windows Live Mail, depending on your operating system. So, no matter what security solutions you are already using, MSE can be a final step to achieving end-to-end security at no cost. Virus Removal Las Vegas!

How It Works

Las Vegas virus removal – Like many current anti-malware products, MSE has a cloud (Internet-based) component, although it continually updates and uses locally stored virus definitions to protect your machine as well. The cloud component for MSE includes Microsoft SpyNet, a community of individuals who have agreed to let MSE harvest varying degrees of information about the suspect files it encounters on their systems. By using SpyNet, Microsoft is able to compile and access an extensive library of information about how viruses and malware are continually evolving and posing new threats. Microsoft will automatically enroll you in this group at the basic level by default, but you can change your settings if you wish from the Settings tab. In action, Microsoft maintains a rewardingly small footprint on your machine, working quietly in the background with little to no performance drain. Users generally despise security products that are resource hogs, to the point where some will disable them periodically to speed things up. We feel confident you’ll never resort to such a drastic measure while using MSE. System scanning is reasonably quick, depending on your settings. Quick Scan examines the most likely locations for malicious files to be hiding, but leaves the remainder of your drive unexamined until a later scheduled scan. In our test, MSE scanned approximately 19,000 items in seven minutes. Full Scan will analyze all your files, as well as your Registry, for signs of trouble. This will take much longer (hours as opposed to minutes). All MSE scans take place in the background, and we felt no overall slowdown of operations while they were running. MSE also lets you customize your scans-not only when they take place and what they scan, but also the resources they use. (This setting only affects scheduled scans, not those you request on demand.) The fewer resources you allow scans to consume, the longer they can take (the default is 50% of CPU usage). Should you decide to use MSE, visit the Settings tab on the main interface and click Scheduled Scan to establish your personal parameters.

Installation

After you download MSE (from www.microsoft.com /security_essentials), you can install it in a matter of minutes. The setup wizard will validate your Windows installation, and if Microsoft cannot verify you are running a genuine copy of Windows, you will not be able to install MSE. MSE instructs you to uninstall or disable real-t me protection for any security software you have in place (you can o this without leaving setup). It also recommends you upgrade to Internet Explorer 9 for its “SmartScreen Filter, which helps combat online threats with a set of sophisticated tools like anti-phishing protection, anti-malware protection, and application reputation,” as the setup wizard notes. (Whether you run it is your call; Internet Explorer 9 works only with Windows Vista and Win7 and has been out fewer than six months, so not all sites are compatible with it. Otherwise, it appears to be a solid upgrade.) After installation, the setup engine updates virus definitions and offers to launch a Quick Scan of the system. It is always a good idea to let security software scan your system the first time out. If you have not been using protection previously, you should also schedule a Full Scan as soon as possible.

Wish List

MSE doesn’t have any objectionable quirks, but it does handle some functions differently than we would like. One feature with which we took issue is scanning. Although MSE offers scan-related options (including the ability to create a Restore Point), you cannot initiate scans for a particular threat, such as a rootkit. This won’t bother novice PC users, who are best-served by a comprehensive scan. However, expert users who recognize threat types and think they may have been exposed might like this feature. (Some, but far from all, security products allow threat-specific scanning). We noticed that you cannot establish more than one scan setting. Microsoft lets you exclude file types, locations, and processes from being scanned, which requires a fairly knowledgeable user to implement safely. However, you can only establish one set of parameters. We would like to see the ability to create multiple scanning scenarios. For example, you might like to perform a Full Scan once a month on Sunday morning, but scan only the most vulnerable (and heavily targeted) areas of your hard drive once a week. We were also surprised to read user reports that MSE turns on automatic updates in Windows. After some investigation, a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) informed us that MSE uses the Windows Update feature as the easiest and least intrusive way to manage and download updates. In the current release of MSE, how it works with Windows Update depends on your settings for this utility. You can turn Windows Update off, but you’ll have to update MSE manually and should enable the checkbox (located on the Settings tab under Scheduled Scan) that initiates an update before every scan. MSE will alert you if updates become too outdated. Furthermore, if a possible threat is detected, our Microsoft MVP asserted it will scan for updates as part of its threat detection. Our test machine had Windows Update set to download updates but not install them until we allowed it, because we sometimes leave processes running overnight. MSE did not change this setting. Instead, it prompted us that new updates had been downloaded, which we then installed. You’ll have to decide what works best for you, because we don’t see Microsoft separating MSE Updates from Windows Update any time soon. Just remember that an out-of-date malware engine can be worse than none at all because it will miss the newest threats and return false positives.

How It Stacks Up

In the end, the answer to our initial question remains elusive. MSE has all sorts of certifications, checkmarks, and awards from major independent virus testing labs. On the plus side, it has a very low incidence of false positives, which is an increasingly important factor as anti-malware first continue to tweak their identification techniques. False positives can cause harmless or even beneficial files to be quarantined or eliminated and keep you in perpetual crisis mode. Like most of its competitors, free and paid, MSE detects active malware right away and generates a pop-up box offering to clean your PC. It offers a link to helpful details and gives you the opportunity to decide the threat’s fate on the fly. It also lets you set behaviors for threats, when they do arrive, based on severity. The most recent edition of MSE turns on Windows Firewall if you do not have another firewall in place. It also has added network inspection features, which works only in Windows Vista and Win7. Finally you can run other spyware removal programs as cross checks against MSE, provided you do not enable real-time protections on them. Realistically, no program will identify 100% of threats, which are becoming more elusive every day. An uncomplicated, easy-to-use and lightweight program such as MSE, paired with occasional cross checks with other free scanners and the use of the other security tools Windows offers, is an excellent way for folks on a budget to protect themselves effectively.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.24

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Spend any time shopping for new desktops or laptops for your small business, and you might spy a few unfamiliar ports here and there. As you may know, ports are input or output jacks for the peripherals a computer can use, from USB flash memory drives to mice to monitors. As time has passed, some ports have become faster and faster, even though they may look about the same as they did a decade ago. Others have all but disappeared entirely. The march of technology that has given us e-commerce transaction databases, high-definition video, and digital photos with more megapixels also spurs the industry to develop faster interfaces (not to mention faster broadband Internet connections) to carry all that data. Ports that can’t keep up, or can’t be upgraded to speedier versions of themselves due to technological constraints, are left behind. The ports a PC supports depend on the chips built onto or attached to its motherboard. Its chipset (core logic) may have built-in USB and Ethernet capability, for example, while a third party chip added by the motherboard manufacturer adds support for audio. Meanwhile, the CPU might have on-die graphics capabilities to power the motherboard’s video outputs, while a chip on an expansion card adds eSATA (external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) for swift backups to an external hard drive. In all cases, driver software and/or the motherboard’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) allow the ports to work with the computer’s operating system. In the interests of space, we’ll focus on the more recent port technologies in this article. And because several of them have miniaturized versions used in mobile devices, such as the smart phones and tablets invading the business world, we’ll mention those as applicable.

USB 3.0

The wildly popular USB interface is available in a long-awaited third version. USB 3.0, marketed as Super- Speed USB, has a theoretical speed of 5Gbps (gigabits per second), or 625MBps (megabytes per second). Even though real-world performance is somewhat slower, as with all such interfaces, that’s still more than fast enough to keep the new port from bogging down transfers to external hard drives and current SSDs (solid-state drives). USB 3.0 ports are easy to spot because their center posts are bright blue. Otherwise, USB 3.0 ports are shaped just like USB 2.0/1.1 connectors, namely a rectangular port with a rectangular post (Type A) on the PC end and a square with two beveled corners (Type B) on the peripheral end. Best of all, version 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 devices. Those older drives and input devices still run at their original speeds, however. USB has mini and micro versions, too. In fact, many phones, MP3 players, and other devices recharge their batteries through micro USB. Therefore, if you’re buying new computers in today’s mobile office environment, it’s important to purchase models with sleep-and-charge USB ports. These can continue to charge devices even while the PC is turned off or in Sleep mode.

DisplayPort

It is a super-fast, 21.6Gbps interface primarily designed to carry video to computer monitors. With this much bandwidth on tap, it’s able to accommodate greater resolution, faster refresh rates, and more color depth than HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). Besides professional media content generation applications, DisplayPort is ideal for multiple monitor setups. DisplayPort’s port resembles HDMI’s, except that its connector only has one beveled corner instead of two. Also, DisplayPort’s center post is shaped like a shallow letter U. Using an adapter, you can convert DisplayPort to HDMI, DVI (Digital Visual Interface), and VGA ( video Graphics Array). Some devices, such as multi-monitor graphics cards, have mini-DP ports, which look like small rectangles with beveled corners. The latest extension to the DisplayPort 1.2 standard lets it support active cables more than 100 feet long.

Thunderbolt

OK, OK. Why is there even a need for this article? Shouldn’t IT companies just make one fast port, and then use it for every kind of device? Computer repair Las Vegas Intel’s Thunderbolt comes the closest to that kind of goal. The company brought it to market in cooperation with Apple, which very characteristically desired two selling points: the simplicity of a single type of cable and enough performance to give Apple a competitive advantage over PC vendors. Thunderbolt in essence is a 10Gbps (1.25GBps) interface that combines PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) with DisplayPort in a single, thin cable. It can daisy-chain compatible devices, and it supports hubs, which leads to an interesting scenario: Picture your mouse, keyboard, monitor, and external backup drive all linked to your computer through a single cable connection. Even professional external storage with RAIDed (redundant array of independent drives) SSDs wouldn’t hit a bottleneck on its way to your computer. Even though it was formerly known by the code name of Light Peak, Thunderbolt doesn’t use optical technologies such as lasers or fiber to transmit data. Like the others here, it’s based on sending electrons through copper wires. Thunderbolt uses mini-DisplayPort connectors, and it’s adaptable to DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, VGA, and more.

HDMI

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface was developed for consumer electronics devices such as Bluray Disc players and HDTVs. However, HDMI has also seen wide use in graphics cards and computer displays. Its connector’s wide rectangle with two beveled corners can be adapted to DVI. HDMI is notable for its ability to transmit both high-def video and audio. For example, a quality cable rated for 10.2Gbps operation can carry a 3D, 1080p movie as well as its HD surround sound simultaneously. The current specification, HDMI 1.4a, has a variety of optional features such as advanced 3D formats, Ethernet support, and more. There are mini and micro versions for mobile devices such as smartphones and camcorders.

eSATA

The external SATA interface has been around longer than most of the ports we just described. Until USB 3.0 came along, this port was the fastest link to consumer storage peripherals such as external hard drives. However, USB 3.0’s superior real-world speed and backward compatibility may signal that eSATA’s day is done. Like the internal SATA interface, eSATA may support 1.5Gbps, 3Gbps, or 6Gbps theoretical transfer rates. Some recent eSATA ports also supply enough electrical power to run compatible flash memory drives. However, the majority of ports force users of eSATA flash drives to use a cable to draw supplemental power from a USB port.

Smart Computing | September 2011 p.29

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Scareware is a scam that often occurs as a browser pop-up window that resembles a legitimate security utility. The program often features a realistic title. Typical scareware appears to scan your computer and look for malicious programs or problems. When it finishes the scan, it tells you that there are numerous threats on your computer, and you should click the pop-up to install a program that will rid the PC of its issues. Clicking the pop-up allows the scareware to install viruses, spyware, and/or alter the security settings of your PC. Alternatively,the scareware may instruct you to buy the full version, touting the (likely fake) list of malicious software on your system as proof that the scareware is worth your money. Here, we’ll show you how to spot and remove scareware from your computer Las Vegas virus removal.

Detecting Scareware

Jamz Yaneza, research manager at Trend Micro (us.trendmicro.com), says, “Scareware can take many forms. The first cybercriminals used tactics that warned users of infections with things like fake antivirus that would attempt to steal credit card numbers by saying you needed to pay for the software to fix the problems. Cybercriminals have become more devious and cunning. Now, you’ll see fake diagnostic tools or search engine optimization tactics that mimic the manner that real-time antivirus products protect your system. Others will imitate codecs, saying that you’ll need to download something if you want to watch a Web video.” You should be skeptical of Web browser pop-ups, because pop-ups are one of the ways cybercriminals can break into your PC. “Whether you’re at home or at work, you should know anti-malware software is running on your computer or network. For example, if you know that your PC is running Trend Micro, you can be assured that when FakeAV-or whatever program-pops up, that it’s not the program responsible for monitoring the security of your computer,” says Yaneza. If the pop-up window is a program that doesn’t look familiar to you, it’s best to close it immediately. (We’ll cover how to properly close scareware pop-ups later.) Just know that whatever the scareware message says (such as that it has detected a hard drive failure), your computer will not be crippled if you close the pop-up. Scareware may also take the form of a spoof email that indicates you’ll need to take some kind of immediate action that requires clicking a link in the email. Due to an abundance of these spoof emails, UPS recently outlined the signs you should look for when reading unsolicited emails. We found this advice would be helpful for anyone trying to identify any scareware email. The list of items UPS does not request-in an unsolicited manner-includes payments, personal information, financial information, account numbers, IDs, passwords, and copies of invoices. Common indicators of scareware, according to UPS, include poor grammar (such as errors, misspellings, and excessive use of exclamation points), unexpected requests, and a lack of alternative ways to provide the requested information, such as a phone number, mailing address, or a physical location. Because the goal is to try to scare you into taking action, many types of scareware typically include some type of trick that pushes you to make an immediate response. Las Vegas computer repair – For example,the pop-up may indicate that “your computer has several critical errors and needs to be fixed immediately” or “your account will be suspended within 24 hours.”

Closing Scareware

When you see scareware, it’s important that you don’t click anywhere within the pop-up, whether or not there are options for Yes, No, or Cancel. In fact, you shouldn’t even select the Close window button in the upper-right corner, because any area that you select may have been manipulated by the cybercriminal to let it start installing viruses onto your PC. Instead, simultaneously press CTRL-W on your keyboard, which will close the pop-up. If that doesn’t work, press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, select Start Task Manager, and click Applications. Then, right-click the task for your Web browser and select End Task. This method will kill all the Web browser tabs you had open. If a scareware program has managed to install itself onto your PC, you’ll want to immediately run your security software’s scanner for virus removal in Las Vegas. The longer the scareware sits on your computer, the more damage it can do. For example, the scareware could begin to randomly load pop-up windows in your Web browser, or it can disable features in Windows’ Control Panel. Worse, scareware may disable your security software. If you find that it has been disabled, contact the security publisher’s tech support and see if it can remotely connect to your PC and remove the scareware.

Avoiding Scareware

The best way to prevent scareware from affecting your PC is to block it from reaching the PC. One way that scareware promotes itself is by pumping up search results so that they come up as the top result for popular keywords. For example, Trend Micro tells us that a malicious SEO (search engine optimization) campaign was able to push itself into popular search results by using malicious landing pages to redirect PC users to Web sites where the hackers embedded the scareware. Trend Micro’s Web Reputation Service, which is built into most Trend Micro software, is capable of detecting and blocking Web addresses that are thought to be a risk to your computer. Yaneza says, “Scareware uses Javascript code, which is the code that creates interesting designs and features on Web sites, so you can’t eliminate every threat of scare re. Nor can you block Javascript on your Web browser if you want to enjoy all of today’s Web sites.” Thus, the only way to reliably block and remove scareware is to keep your antivirus and antispyware tools up-to-date. One of the easiest ways to do so is with security software that uses cloud computing to provide real-time definitions for your PC. Trend Micro, for example, offers a feature called the Smart Protection Network to provide real-time protection for Web, email, and file-based threats.

Smart Computing | August 2011 p.66

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Once you’ve selected your new graphics card, installing it yourself is relatively painless. Simply follow these instructions in order, and you’ll be pleasing your peepers in no time or visit Las Vegas computer repair.

Uninstall drivers

The first step is to uninstall the existing graphics driver. To do this in Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel (in Category view), and then click Uninstall A Program from the Programs category. If you see ATI Catalyst Install Manager or Nvidia Drivers, click the item, click Change or Uninstall/ Change from the top of the window, and then follow the instructions. When complete, the system will restart. Next, shut the system down completely. Turn off the power supply where the power cable attaches to the PC and remove the case side panel. Make sure to touch the metal portion of the case frame to dissipate any static electricity and unplug the power cord from the PSU. Also remove the monitor cable, audio cables, USB cables, and any other peripheral attached to the PC.

Out with the old

With your PC shut down and disconnected from the mains power, you can now go about the task of removing your old graphics card (if there is one). Typically, the graphics card will occupy the topmost area of the motherboard’s expansion slots. If your monitor plugged directly into the motherboard, then chances are you were running integrated graphics and have nothing to remove. If the monitor cable was connected to an expansion card, then this is most likely your existing graphics card; remove the screw(s) holding the bracket to the rear case panel, disconnect the one or two auxiliary power connector(s) from the old graphics card if there are any, unlatch the PCI-E (or AGP, as the case may be) slot’s locking mechanism, and then gently lift the card straight out of the slot.

In with the new

If necessary, use a can of compressed air to ensure the graphics slot is clear of dust and then carefully slide your new graphics card into the topmost available graphics slot. Secure it with one or two screws and connect any auxiliary power connectors as necessary. Replace and secure the PC case panel, connect the power cord to your computer and to the mains power, reconnect your peripherals, and ensure your monitor cable is connected to the appropriate port on the back panel of the new graphics card. Next, turn the PC back on.

Install the driver

While any graphics card you buy at retail is going to ship with a driver disc, we recommend downloading the latest graphics drivers from the manufacturer’s Web site. You can find these on the AMD or Nvidia Web site. If you bought an AMD graphics card, visit www.amd.com, click Support & Drive from the top-right corner of the page, choose Desktop Graphics from the Component Category drop-down box, and select the appropriate options for the Product Line, Product Model, and Operating System. Then click View Results. Click Download and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation. Your monitor may go dark momentarily during the installation, and you may also need to restart your PC when the installation is complete. If you bought an Nvidia graphics card, visit www.nvidia.com, select your region (if necessary), and click Download Drivers from the top-left corner of the screen. Fill out the Product Type (GeForce), Product Series, Product, Operating System, and Language fields as needed and then click Search. Click Download and then follow the on-screen instructions. Here, too, your monitor may go dark momentarily, and you may also need to restart your PC when the installation has been completed. Computer repair in Las Vegas – To make sure the new graphics card is pulling its weight, you can right-click anywhere on the Desktop, and if you see Nvidia Control Panel or Catalyst Control Center as options, then your new graphics card and driver are functioning properly. Select the NCP or CCC to tweak your graphics card, adjust resolution, change multi-monitor settings, and more.

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Big programs do it. Small programs do it. Good programs do it. Bad programs do it. Old systems do it. New systems do it. All programs do it, and all systems do it. Freezing is a fact of computing life, whether it’s an individual application that stops responding or the entire system that locks up. Anytime this happens your work is at risk, but freezing doesn’t always have to end in catastrophe. We’ll help you understand how to work through issues when they arise and recover from them after the fact.

General Tips

Regardless of the situation, there are a few general guidelines that can help keep you sane and your system stable. First, above all, be patient. What at first looks like a freeze can often just be slow processing. When in the middle of resource-intensive activities, such as editing video, burning a DVD, or copying large files, many applications and machines run especially slowly and may even appear to hang. Drastic steps are sometimes necessary, but they usually come with a cost. Don’t start forcing a thing to close or shut anything down until you’re certain it’s not just taking a long time to process and you’ve exhausted all other possibilities. As always, protect yourself against the inevitable (but hopefully rare) freezes and crashes that can’t be prevented. Follow the basic rules of computing. Save early and often. Schedule and confirm regular backups of important data. Don’t let hardware or software problems linger-troubleshoot and repair/replace as soon as feasible. Use antivirus and antispyware tools to protect your system from infection or invasion; Las Vegas computer repair – many freezes can be attributed to the impact of malware.

Program Freezes

Sophisticated commercial applications normally provide some sort of moving progress indicators to let you know they’re still working and not frozen, but not all applications have these, and they don’t always work correctly. When you think your program is frozen, use your mouse to try switching applications. Sometimes working on something else gives the bogged-down application time to recover or catch up. If switching to other applications doesn’t work, or if the mouse isn’t responding, try the ALT-TAB keyboard combination. This shortcut displays each f the currently open windows and lets you toggle among them. Press TAB repeatedly while holding ALT to rotate through them. Simply release both keys when you reach the application you want. Switching out to another open program, either for just a moment or for a longer period, can help determine whether the application in question is responding. If nothing else is open, or if ALT-TAB isn’t responding, try the WINDOWS-M combination instead. This shortcut minimizes all open applications, returning your screen to the Windows Desktop. Sometimes, it will also reveal a dialog box or warning message hidden underneath other open windows, which may prevent programs from responding while they await input. The next step is to try relaunching the offending application or opening another instance of it. Sometimes this will nudge the system into reactivating the first open window in that program or, at the very least, let you complete your activity within a different session. This won’t work every time, and it may not help you access n-progress data, but it won’t hurt if the application is frozen already. If nothing you do induces the application to respond, use the “X” button at the top right to try and close it. The application may not respond to the close request immediately, but this is another opportunity to practice patience. The program may take a minute or two to close, or it may take that long to generate he message that it isn’t responding. If the “Not Responding” message appears, and if you’ve exhausted all other options, force the application to close by clicking End Task (or similar). Sometimes, though, an application won’t even respond to the Close button or generate an End Task dialog box. If ending a program this way doesn’t work, you’ll have to go to the Task Manager. Access the Task Manager by right-clicking the Taskbar and selecting Task Manager from the context menu or by pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE and clicking Start Task Manager from the on-screen menu. Start with the Applications tab. Locate the program in question and click End Task. If that doesn’t do anything after a few minutes, navigate to the Processes tab. Try to locate your problem application by name. Usually, you can figure out the correct process based on the Image Name field (click the Image Name label to sort alphabetically), though some applications are a little more cryptic and require cross-checking the Description field, as well. Sorting by CPU or Memory usage may also provide a clue as to what’s hogging all the resources. When you find a culprit, select it and click End Process at the bottom right. Confirm any warning messages with another End Process selection. This should bring a quick end to any application that’s stopped responding, but it doesn’t mean your system is back to normal. After you’ve had to do an application-killing End Task or End Process, it’s a good idea to reboot and let the system come back up in its natural state. Computer Repair in Las Vegas done right!

System Freezes

Full system-wide freezes can be a little more difficult to figure out. Las Vegas virus removal – For one thing, it’s hard to identify a single application or process at fault if you’re multitasking when things go awry. It’s also harder (by definition) to navigate and investigate when nothing is responding, including Windows. However, just as with application freezes, don’t give up too early. Look for signs of life that might indicate the system is processing and not frozen. Good indicators include flashing activity lights, the whir of a churning hard drive, or indicator icons and bars that move only infrequently. If it looks like things might actually be moving, even if only at a snail’s pace, wait a little longer. When signs of life cease, or when you run out of patience, try a few simple navigational tricks. Use the ALT-TAB shortcut as previously described to see if anything happens. Try other keyboard shortcuts such as WINDOWS-M (minimize all) or WINDOWS-D (show the Desktop). Disconnect and reconnect your mouse and keyboard. You can also try removing peripherals not in use, such as portable drives, printers, or other devices. Try removing any recently added hardware. USB drives, especially older ones, are notorious for creating resource conflicts that an bring a system to its knees. If the system is still not responding, you’re left with little choice but to shut it down. Take the gentle route first. Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE and see if you can get to a Log Off or Task Manager window. Or try to get to the Start menu with its shutdown options, either via the mouse or by pressing the WINDOWS key. Next, press ALT-F4, which will try and close either the currently active application or may shut down the system. If your machine has Shutdown, Standby, or Restart keyboard buttons (as many notebooks do), try using them. Additionally, many desktop cases have a Restart button built into the front. Finally, if nothing else works, press and hold the Power button to bring the machine down. Physically pulling the plug or removing the battery is your absolute last resort and can create hardware problems, so you should avoid such drastic measures if at all possible.

Smart Computing | August 2011 p.61

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Any good business backup advice will tell you to store a copy of important data offsite. Your company can’t have all its eggs in one basket, so to speak. If your only copies of your business data are housed in a single building, what happens if there’s a fire or flood? Offsite backup can take several forms. Online storage is an attractive option these days, despite the occasional news story about an outage or security breach. Even taking home a thumb drive every night is better than nothing, even if it’s kind of risky. For serious offsite protection, however, you might prefer a weekly trip to your bank’s safe deposit box to drop off a backup on some form of portable media. And to avoid the temptation to overwrite the backups of previous weeks-as you might if you use a portable hard drive as a backup device – consider using write-once, recordable DVDs, CDs, or BDs (Blu-ray Discs). Optical discs are inexpensive, after all. They’re also impervious to strong magnetic fields, which can corrupt the data on a portable hard drive. Likewise, they don’t break when you drop them-another hard drive vulnerability. It’s possible to scratch a CD/DVD/BD, of course, but if you’re careful to handle them by the edges, store them in cases or sleeves, and refrain from setting them down bare on anything but a drive tray, you shouldn’t have many problems. Before we talk about the basics of writing data to disc, let’s do a quick brush-up on CDs, DVDs, and BDs in general. Optical media can be confusing, so let’s lay out each topic one by one.

Optical Discs Exposed

A CD/DVD/BD-writing drive uses a laser to burn pits, or dark spots, in a disc’s recording dye layer. That’s why people refer to writing data on an optical disc as “burning.” Later, optical drives can use lasers on lower power settings to read the pitted and unpitted areas (lands) of the dye layer as the 1s and 0s of binary data storage. There’s a reflective layer above the dye layer. Usually made of aluminum, the reflective layer bounces the laser back to the drive’s read head when there’s no pit in the way. This is why the data side of an optical disc looks kind of like a mirror. CDs, DVDs, and BDs are all the same physical size, which makes manufacturing easier. In order to store more data than CDs, DVDs and BDs use lasers of different colors (wavelengths), which can create finer pits. CDs store 650MB or 700MB; DVDs can hold 4.7GB or 8.5GB (DL [dual-layer] discs with two recording dye layers); and BDs have capacities of 25GB or 50GB (DL). Mini versions of each have less storage space. Note that you can’t modify the data on a store-bought movie DVD/BD, audio CD/DVD, or software CD/DVDROM (read-only memory), as these types of discs don’t contain recording dye. Instead, their reflective aluminum layer is stamped with an indelible pattern of pits and lands.

R, RW & RE

Optical discs are considered either recordable or rewriteable. You can only write data once to the dye in a recordable disc. Mind you, you can record multiple data sessions to a particular disc if you didn’t completely fill it the first time. Recordable discs have ‘R’ suffixes, as in CD-R and BD-R. There are actually two standards for recordable DVD: DVD+R and DVDR. The only practical difference between the two is that certain playback devices (and a few ancient DVD burners) prefer one or the other. With a rewriteable disc, you can erase data and overwrite it with new information. The secret is a recording dye that can be changed to two unique states (amorphous or crystalline, to be technical) when the drive’s laser operates at different power levels. Thus, the dye can be “burned” to act as a pit or returned to its original state as a land. Types of rewriteable media include CD-RW, DVD-RW and DVD+RW (plus their forerunner DVD-RAM), and BD-RE. While rewriteable media sounds like a great way to go, its mutable nature doesn’t quite jibe with record retention regulations that mandate permanent records of business data, such as on recordable media of the WORM (write-once, read many) kind. Also, rewriteable media has a history of compatibility issues among drives and devices.

• Drives

Optical drives that can only read discs have ‘ROM’ suffixes, as in BD-ROM. Note that with few exceptions, drives are backward compatible with earlier disc formats; therefore, a BD-ROM drive should also read DVDs and CDs with no problem. Predictably, the drives that can write data, in addition to reading it, are called burners. They may be marketed with rewriteable format suffixes, as in a BD-RE drive or a DVD±RW (a burner that can write both DVD+RW and DVD-RW). All burners can read the formats they write, and they’re backward-compatible. or example, a BD-RE can both read and write DVDs and CDs. There’s a third type of drive called a combo. Historically, this is a burner that can also read one format newer than it can write. For instance, a BDROM/ DVD±RW combo is a DVD burner that can also read BDs, while a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo is a CD burner that can play DVDs. Internal optical drives use a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) or IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) interface. External drives typically come with a USB cable and an AC power adapter.

• Speeds

Blank discs and drives are both rated by their maximum data transfer speeds, such as 22X DVD writing and 48X CD reading. An ‘X’ varies by the type of media: 1X CD is 150KBps, 1X DVD equals 1.35MBps, and 1X BD is 4.5MBps. As an example, 4X BD equals 18MBps. Note that optical drives only hit max speeds when reading or writing the last files on a full disc. Data recovery Las Vegas done right!

Burning

Once you’ve decided to copy some files to CD/DVD/ BD, the trick is to do so in a way that will make the discs accessible in any other computer later on. In all of the following instructions, we’ll assume you’ve placed an appropriate, blank disc in your burner. First, we’ll show you how to burn data via Windows 7’s built-in utility and then we’ll show you how to do the same with a popular burning program, Nero Multimedia Suite 10.

•  Win7

To write files to disc in Win7, drag and drop them on your burner’s icon. Alternatively, right-click them, click Send To, and select your CD/ DVD/BD writer. And if an AutoPlay window pops up when you put a blank disc in your drive, you can click Burn Files To Disc. By default, Windows burns some discs with its Live File System, known generically as Mt. Rainier recording. It’s meant to make optical discs as convenient to use as USB flash drives or hard drives. However, discs formatted with Live File System may not be readable in all computers. Opt for the With A CD/ DVD player setting to make a Mastered (traditional) disc, and then click Next. Windows will copy your files to a new folder, but it won’t write them to disc just yet. If you change your mind about a file, delete it from the list. (Don’t worry: As long as you’re deleting a file with a down arrow icon, it’s a copy, not the original.) Finally, click Burn To Disc and Next.

• ISO Disc Image Files

Some software comes as an ISO file. An ISO is a type of disc image file that contains all the files necessary to make a CD, DVD, or BD, such as a bootable utility disc for OS installation, virus removal, or hard drive partitioning. You can think of it as an archive file like a ZIP, only without file compression. The trouble with ISOs is that in order to extract their files properly to a blank optical disc, you need to specify a setting or two before you burn it. If you simply burn an ISO to disc the same way you would any other type of file, you’ll merely end up with a CD/DVD/BD with the ISO file on it. Windows 7. Fortunately, Windows 7 has built-in support for burning ISOs to disc. Right-click an ISO file and select Burn Disc Image. (If Burn Disc Image isn’t an option, click OpenWith and Windows Disc Image Burner.) Click Verify Disc After Burning and then click Burn. To do this in Nero 10, launch StartSmart. Click Data and then select Burn And Copy Data – Advanced. Click Cancel to close the New Compilation window and then click Recorder and Burn Image. ind the ISO file and click Open. Next, click Verify Written Data. Finally, click Burn.

Smart Computing | August 2011 p.25

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Supercharge Your PC

Computers can slow down over time for a variety of reasons. For instance, your PC could simply be an older model that doesn’t have quite enough memory to run the newest applications and software. Or, you may be running several applications that collectively use a lot of your system memory. Whatever the reason, you may want to find a way to speed up your computer without buying new components or installing more RAM. Windows 7 and Windows Vista have a built-in feature that lets you use a USB flash drive or memory card to give your computer a bump in speed. It’s called ReadyBoost, and it’s an easy way to give your computer the extra speed it needs to keep up with you and your software. We’ll show you what to look for in a storage device, how to set up ReadyBoost, and provide some tips that will help maximize your results.

How It Works

PCs have a limited amount of memory (RAM) to use for computing purposes. Whenever your PC needs more fast storage access than your RAM provides, the computer will start to use memory from the hard drive to compensate. Hard drives have significantly slower read/write speeds than RAM, so you’ll notice a drop in performance when your computer starts to run out of system memory. ReadyBoost gives your computer an alternative to storing certain data on the hard drive. Flash memory is faster than the hard drive when it comes to reading and writing certain types of data, so ReadyBoost directs that data to the flash memory. The result is better computer performance.

Compatibility

The great thing about ReadyBoost is that it works with almost any flash drive or memory card as long as it has more than 256MB of available storage, but you’ll want a storage device with at least 1GB of free space to see solid results. Microsoft recommends that you double or, if possible, quadruple the amount of space you use for ReadyBoost in comparison to your computer’s RAM. For example, if your computer has 1GB of RAM, you should find a flash drive or memory card with 2 to 4GB of free space available. Your flash drive will also need to have a read speed of at least 2.5MBps (megabytes per second) and a write speed of 1.75MBps. Your USB flash drive has to support USB 2.0. If you can find one that says “Enhanced for ReadyBoost,” you can be 100% sure that it will work; however, drives that don’t have this distinction may work with ReadyBoost, as well. You can tell by connecting the drive to your computer and seeing if a ReadyBoost option shows up in the AutoPlay menu. If it doesn’t, the device might not work with ReadyBoost. Depending on what type of card reader you have in your PC, you can use many types of memory cards. Although most USB flash drives and memory cards do support the tool, there is always the potential that a USB flash drive or memory card may not work with ReadyBoost because of its formatting or interface. You may have to try a few storage devices before finding the perfect one for the job. Microsoft says that computers with SSDs (solid-state drives) may not show the option to use ReadyBoost, and you may see the message: “ReadyBoost is not enabled on his computer because the system disk is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide any additional benefit.” If you receive this message, there isn’t a problem with your flash drive or memory card. It just means that your computer should have enough memory and run fast enough to not need ReadyBoost. In this case, your only alternative to speed up your computer may be to buy more RAM.

Set Up ReadyBoost

If you are using a USB drive or memory card that already has data stored on it, you should clear it completely or delete as much as you can to free up the necessary space. New USB drives and memory cards should be ready to use right out of the packaging. ReadyBoost works best by plugging the device directly into your computer rather than using a USB hub or other adapter. Once you have the device ready, you can then insert the drive into the USB port or the memory card into the card slot, and an AutoPlay window should pop up that displays the name of the device and some options for what you can do with it If this menu doesn’t automatically appear, you can go to the Start menu, click Computer, and find your device under Devices With Removable Storage. Right-click the device and click Properties. Finally, click the ReadyBoost tab and you’ll be in the correct menu. There should be a menu option titled Speed Up My System Using Windows Ready- Boost. (If there isn’t, then there is a good chance your storage device either isn’t compatible with Ready- Boost or it doesn’t have enough available space. If you’re sure that it’s compatible, then you may need to delete more data to make more room. And if your device doesn’t have enough space, there may also be a message that will let you know.) Click the Speed Up My System Using Windows Ready- Boost menu, and a Properties menu should pop up with information on how to set up your device to use ReadyBoost. There are three options in this menu. Do Not Use This Device will make it so that your storage device isn’t used for ReadyBoost but can be used to store other data instead. This is the option you’ll want to select if you want to stop using your flash drive or memory card for Ready- Boost and want to repurpose it. The second option is Dedicate This Device To ReadyBoost; selecting this will let Windows use all of the available space on the device to help speed up your computer. If you choose the third option, Use This Device, it will automatically set the amount of storage space used to the recommended amount for the best possible performance. But, if you want to adjust the amount of storage space dedicated to ReadyBoost yourself, you can use the sliding scale to do so. After you make your selection, click OK and Windows will configure the device. Any leftover space can then be used to store any additional data. With Windows 7, ReadyBoost can support multiple storage devices adding up to a total capacity of 256GB. You can use up to eight storage devices total, as long as you have enough inputs to support them. ReadyBoost can use a maximum of 32GB of free space from any one device. icrosoft warns that flash drives or memory cards that are FAT32 formatted can only offer 4GB of memory for ReadyBoost to use. Keep in mind that you may only need to add a fraction of the maximum amount of storage possible to see the best results. Continuing to add devices after this point is unnecessary because there may not be a noticeable increase in speed. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

Get The Most Out Of Your Existing PC

Using ReadyBoost with your computer can help increase its performance and help make you more productive. And although ReadyBoost’s effects won’t be as powerful as those from upgrading RAM, it may give you just enough of a performance increase to run the programs you need and save money from not having to upgrade your computer’s components.

Smart Computing | August 2011 p.22

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It wasn’t that big of a storm. You figured everything would be fine. After resetting the alarm clock and oven display, you didn’t give the computer a second thought-until now. The printer is still on, the router downstairs is blinking away happily, but your PC won’t boot up. You try several times, panic welling, but can’t get it going. What’s wrong? There are several possible answers, but most stem from the simple fact that you plugged that computer directly into the wall, bypassing the opportunity for both surge protection and uninterruptible power.

Power Protection 101

Image via Wikipedia

Before we start figuring out the problem and how to address it, let’s get some terminology straight. Surges and spikes have very precise technical definitions. For our purposes, though, we’ll include surges with the moderate to strong fluctuations that commonly afflict our electrical system. Short-term “surges” in power usually result from devices powering up and down, or from variations in power grid conditions. Spikes, on the other hand, are massive and sudden floods of power that can overwhelm the entire infrastructure (or at least a localized segment of it). Spikes are usually caused by nearby electromagnetic disturbances, including lightning strikes. The difference is important as you clarify your needs. All good surge protectors guard against small to moderate surges. Nothing will protect against a direct hit by lightning. Where your needs fall in between those extremes depends on your budget and the value of your equipment and the data on it.

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) provides a cushion against a complete loss of power. We all know it’s a bad idea to turn off a computer abruptly without allowing it to go through its proper shutdown process. A power outage, by definition, will shut everything off in an instant. If you’re in the middle of something, even a basic UPS can give you a few crucial minutes for saving and shutting down. More advanced models work with specialized software and your PC to facilitate a graceful shutdown even when you aren’t around.

So how do you know what to look for? In surge protectors, more joules and a lower clamping voltage are better. Also, a fuse or auto-disconnect provide better protection from spikes. Most UPS models also act as surge protectors, so you’ll want to start with similar specs. Additionally, make sure a UPS provides enough wattage to support your system and enough time for you to bring it down.

After The Fact

Before assuming the worst about your PC, check to make sure other devices in the same room or on the same outlet are working. If your computer shows no signs of life whatsoever-nothing on-screen, no lights, no fans-then your power supply is probably ruined. With luck, the power supply blew first before the surge damaged any other components. You can replace the power supply pretty cheaply and easily, but you won’t know for sure if other damage lurks beneath until afterward. If the power supply fan whirs to life (and/or case fans, too) but the machine emits an odd series of beeps, strange messages on-screen, or nothing beyond the fans, your motherboard is the most likely victim. On the other hand, if everything starts up normally for the first few seconds but then hangs when it’s time for the OS to load (again, you may or may not see an error message from the BIOS [Basic Input/Output System]), the hard drive is probably fried. It’s also possible that one (or all) of these devices might be damaged but not destroyed, which would result in unreliable performance or seemingly random crashes, rather than an inability to launch. Recovery from this kind of situation primarily involves hoping fervently that your backups are up-to-date and then replacing damaged hardware. You did have automatic backups running regularly,stored on an external or network drive, didn’t you? And you checked them periodically to make sure they were running successfully, right? If so, start by checking backups (from another machine or location) and make sure they’re intact. If they are, you have a lot less to worry about: A hard drive is much easier to replace than a year’s worth of proposals and emails. As you follow the troubleshooting steps outlined above and identify affected hardware, add each component to your shopping list. If you suspect that multiple components have been damaged, you can replace them one at a time starting with the power supply, testing in between each to determine what can stay. In a best-case scenario, you’ll be able to start up and use the hard drive long enough to extract any data that wasn’t already backed up. Alternatively, especially if your backups are current, it may be just as cost- effective (and quicker) to replace the entire system. That’s not a pleasant pill to swallow, but it can serve as a useful reminder of the important role played by surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies. They’re an investment worth making. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

Smart Computing | July 2011 p.67

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It’s the nature of small businesses that owners often need to work while they are not in the office. For some, it’s a matter of needing files and programs at home. For others, it’s important to have access to office documents while on the road. Millions of office workers and business owners find a solution in remote desktop tools, which provide access to the resources of one (host) PC from another (client) PC, generally using the Internet as the conduit for connection. One of these, Microsoft’s RDC (Remote Desktop Connection), became more powerful and easier to use with the release of Windows 7. In this article, we’ll detail what RDC can do for you and show you how to use it. We’ll also help you determine if shortcomings with your current environment might not make it a practical solution. If this is the case, we’ll point you to a best-ofbreed, third-party remote tool, Go-ToMyPC (see the “Go To It” sidebar).

Road Rules

RDC works with a number of Windows versions, and it also works with newer Macs. However, it works most elegantly with specific configurations and not at all within certain parameters. As you’ll see, it’s more about your setup-rather than the tool itself-that might make RDC a bad candidate for your needs. To act as a host computer for RDC, a PC must be running a business edition of Windows XP/Vista/7. These are Windows XP Professional; Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise; and Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise. (Server versions of Windows can also act as hosts, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.) Home versions of WinXP/Vista/7 and any earlier versions of Windows can act only as clients (the PC accessing the data remotely) for RDC. We use Win7 in our examples here. Setting up RDC for truly remote (over-the-Internet rather than inside your network) access requires special router configuration. It’s not rocket science, but it does require some technical aptitude. It also leaves your PC more open to penetration, so if you are not running stringent security software, consider another option. However, if your primary need for RDC is in-network convenience-for example, to control your home office PC on a laptop from the comfort of your couch or patio, or to remotely control another PC on your office network, the process is a breeze and works beautifully. (We’ll tell you which steps you can skip below.)

RDC Benefits & Compromises

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With RDC running, the remote interface literally replicates that of your host PC (at least initially), even down to the Start button and System Tray. You can then use it exactly as if you were on the host itself, running installed programs, opening and editing files, accessing USB drives and printers, and more. You can also copy or cut files from a host drive, minimize Remote Desktop (at which time your client interface reappears, and the host interface becomes an icon at the bottom of your screen), and paste the files to your client drives. On the downside, when you are running the host PC remotely, no one can access that PC. This is true even if someone is using a different user profile.

Getting Access

In order to use RDC, the host must have an always-on (not dial-up or other on-demand) Internet connection, and it must be left up and running with Hibernation/Sleep disabled (to check this in Win7, click Start, click Control Panel, click Hardware And Sound, and select Power Options). You must also have administrative access to the host computer. To set up RDC, follow these steps. The process takes less than an hour. If you will be traveling, complete a connection from a nearby location, such as your home or a local coffee shop, before you depart. This will let you troubleshoot any problems that arise or opt for a different solution. Enable RDC on the host. On the host PC, click the Start button, right- lick Computer, and select Properties. In the left pane, click Remote Settings. If prompted, provide an administrator password to proceed. When the System Properties display opens, under the Remote tab, select one of two options: Select Allow Connections From Computers Running Any Version Of Remote Desktop if you will connect via newer Macs or older versions of Windows. Or, choose Allow Connections Only From Computers Running Remote Desktop With Network Level Authentication if you will only connect from other Windows Vista or Win7 PCs. This option is much more secure (for both machines) and requires fewer remote PC resources. Enable access by the client PC. From within the System Properties window, click Select Users. In the Remote Desktop Users window, click Add and then click Advanced in the Select Users window. On the right side of the Select Users window, click Find Now. Scroll down and click the name of the host PC profile you want to access. To access all profiles, click Everyone. Click OK at each display to accept the change. (If you are using Remote Desktop within your own network, skip to the “Get Connected” section of this article.) Edit firewall settings. If you’re using Windows Firewall, click Start, type Windows Firewall in the Search box, and click Windows Firewall in the results. On the left side, click Allow A Program Or Feature Through Windows Firewall. Remote Desktop should already be selected for the Home/Work (Private) option. Selecting Public lets you connect through networks marked as Public (open Wi-Fi), but it is far less secure. If you are using a different firewall, check the users guide about allowing firewall exceptions. Some firewalls will negotiate Remote Desktop settings automatically. Set your router to allow incoming connections. From Control Panel, click Network And Internet and Network And Sharing Center. Under Connections, click either Wireless Network Connection or Local Area Connection (you will only see one option). Click Details and write down the string of numbers (the IP [Internet Protocol] address) next to IPv4 Address. Open your Web browser and type the internal IP address of your router into the Address Bar. (It should be 192.168.0.1, 192.169.1.1, or 192.168.2.1.) Press ENTER. If none of these addresses works, check the underside of your router or refer to your users guide. When your router’s configuration display opens, provide the administrator name and password. (You may not need one. If you have one but forgot it, refer to your router’s users guide for help resetting it.) Look for an option to turn on port forwarding or port mapping (this may be under an Advanced tab or other nested option). Enter port number 3389 (the default port of Remote Desktop), the IP address (the number you wrote down earlier in this step), and, if required, the PC name of the host and the application name (Remote Desktop). If prompted, reboot your router. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

Get Connected

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If you are connecting over the Internet, visit www.find-ip-address.org (or other IP lookup site; you can search for others) to search for your router’s public IP address. Write it down. From the client PC, click Start and type Remote in the Search box. Click Remote Desktop Connection. In the Computer field, provide the IP address of your host PC. If you are connecting inside your network, provide the Workgroup name of your host PC instead. (Open Network And Sharing Center on the host to see the name.) If asked, provide the name of the profile you are accessing. (If you do not see this option, click Options to expand the display.) If you have not already done so, click Options to expand the display. Use the various tabs to tweak your settings, such as display colors, local resources, and other options. Click Connect. You’ll be prompted to enter credentials (these match those used to log in at your host PC). Provide them, click OK, and wait for your host PC to appear on your screen.

Up & Running . . . Or Not

If the connection succeeds, the interface of your remote PC will literally duplicate that of the host, excluding adjustments for differences such as monitor size and resolution. If Remote Desktop fails to load, your Internet service provider may be using dynamic IP addresses, which means they can change each time your host PC connects to the Internet. Contact your ISP. A second problem is that some point along the path to your host PC, incoming connections to port 3389 (a frequent target of hackers) are being blocked. You can change your router’s listening port as described earlier (not a bad idea for security), but you must also change the default listening port in Windows. For assistance, search support .microsoft.com for article ID 306759.

Smart Computing | July 2011 p.32

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Years ago, car engines used to lose power now and again. They’d go out of time, or their ignition points would need maintenance, and so performance would suffer. Today, better designs and more reliable components keep our engines humming. Computer control over fuel, air, and spark helps, too. Ironically, the computers we use for work and play occasionally get sluggish, too. Sudden slowdowns usually indicate a frozen process or software problem. More common is a gradual slide into lethargy; this you can blame on your hard drive.

Maintenance

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As you use your computer, the OS and apps save data here and there on the hard drive. If there’s no free space big enough to store a larger file, the drive saves parts of the file wherever there’s room. This fragmentation slows down read and write processes, and the effect is cumulative. Drives also become slower to save and supply data as they fill up, so the first step to restoring their pep is to get rid of unnecessary data. This includes applications you don’t use, so launch the Programs And Features window to get rid of them. In Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel, and Uninstall A Program. Next, use Windows’ Disk Cleanup feature to delete temp files, Recycle Bin remnants, and other virtual trash. Press WIN-E (the Windows logo key and E key) to launch Windows Explorer. Right-click your C: drive, select Properties, click Disk Cleanup, and follow the directions. (If the View Basic Information About Your Computer window appears instead of the C: Properties panel, close it and rightclick a different part of the C: drive icon or label.) If your hard drive has other drive letters, such as D: or E:, repeat this process with them. Finally, use defragmentation software to reunite all the split files on your hard drive. Win7 runs its Disk Defragmenter by default every Wednesday morning at 1 a.m., assuming your PC is turned on then. To change this time or run a defrag manually, click Start, type defrag in the Search Programs And Files field, and click Disk Defragmenter. Note that several third-party defrag utilities can recover even more drive speed by running constantly, but unobtrusively, in the background. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

Windows Tweaks

Windows Tweaks As we mentioned, you should suspect a software problem if your system suddenly slows down. Sometimes there’s an obvious reason, such as your antivirus software starting a scan. Other culprits include opening a multi-gigabyte folder with thousands of media files, launching a group of tabbed browser bookmarks, and running enough programs to max out your RAM. And then there’s the odd program that won’t open or close correctly. Press CTRL-SHIFT-ESC to launch Task Manager. Select the application (it may be marked Not Responding) and then click End Task and Yes. The Processes tab can reveal a process that’s sucking up resources, as it will Most gradual PC slowdowns are related to the hard drive. Use Windows’ Disk Defragmenter or a third-party utility to keep your drive in the pink. In Task Manager’s Processes tab, click the CPU or Memory categories to sort them so that the processes using the most resources rise to the top. have high numbers in the CPU and/or Memory columns. Select it and click End Process twice. This step often helps shut down an app that doesn’t respond to End Task under the Applications tab. If all else fails, rebooting your computer may help. If the normal Restart method doesn’t work, press CTRLALT- DELETE and then click the red icon arrow at the lower right. Malware can cause a major slowdown, especially if it makes your PC send out spam or participate in online attacks such as DDoS (distributed denial of service). Update your antivirus and run a scan. There are also some more long-term tweaks you can do to keep your system buff. One is to disable any unwanted programs that start up with Windows. Click Start, type msconfig in the search field, and click Msconfig.exe in the results. Under the Startup tab, uncheck any apps you don’t want. Process- Library.com can help you identify unfamiliar items in the Command list, such as Ctxfihlp.exe (you may have to widen the column to find the program name at the end of each file path). Be sure not to disable any update utilities for common apps such as PDF (Portable Document Format) readers, as these often download security patches. When you’re finished, click Apply, OK, and Restart. After a reboot, if you see a Security Configuration message window, click the Do Not Use option. Some users also report gaining some speed from using Windows’ ReadyBoost feature, which employs removable flash media to temporarily store files that your system is using in an effort to increase performance. Plug in a fast USB flash drive and then right-click it in Windows Explorer and choose the ReadyBoost tab. Windows will tell you if the drive isn’t suitable. Pc service las vegas.

Upgrades

Some PC slowdowns respond best to very specific upgrades. For example, if your computer only feels slow during gaming or video editing, you probably need a more powerful graphics card. As for more general sluggishness, here are a few hardware upgrades that can cure a number of ills. RAM. Memory is odd in that having more isn’t always better. At the same time, if your PC doesn’t have enough RAM, it’ll slow to a crawl whenever you run demanding applications. It will also work the hard drive a lot more because Windows’ virtual memory is nothing more than drive space (called a swap file or paging file) tasked with doing the job of the much faster RAM. A recent OS such as Win7 can get by fairly well on 2GB or more memory. That said, having 3GB or more can make a noticeable difference, as Win7 likes to cache lots of data in RAM to avoid time-consuming disk accesses. (Note that you’ll need 64-bit Win7 or Windows Vista to make use of 3.3GB or more of RAM.) Fortunately, adding memory to your computer can be easy. It might also be inexpensive if your PC is new enough to use DDR3 (double-data rate 3). Manufacturers such as Kingston Technology (www.kingston .com) sell quality RAM in a variety of speeds and capacities. (For more information call your local computer repair) One of Win7’s advantages over Vista is its performance. It not only boots and runs faster than its predecessor, but it also feels faster due to tweaks to the UI (user interface). It’s one of several good reasons to upgrade from Vista to Win7. And even though the 10-year-old WinXP can outpace Win7 at several tasks on old hardware, we still recommend Win7 for its security and support of new technologies. OS. One of Win7’s advantages over Vista is its performance. It not only boots and runs faster than its predecessor, but it also feels faster due to tweaks to the UI (user interface). It’s one of several good reasons to upgrade from Vista to Win7. And even though the 10-year-old WinXP can outpace Win7 at several tasks on old hardware, we still recommend Win7 for its security and support of new technologies.

Smart Computing | June 2011 p.66
 

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Our example is just one (albeit, a worst-case) scenario that demonstrates why you need to protect your network, whether it’s your home or business, but
there are plenty of other reasons, as well. “Users expose themselves to significant risk when a network is left open,” says Zak Wood, director of global marketing for networking solutions provider TRENDnet (www.trendnet .com). “More common, however, is the use of open wireless networks by neighbors to access all kinds of Internet sites, leaving not only the owner but his/her entire network and digital data at risk. Aside from the black marks you could get by someone using your network for less-than-appropriate purposes, you’re also at risk of losing data. It doesn’t take a very experienced cybercriminal to easily gain access to your data through an open network and steal passwords, personal information, and more. For an individual, that can be calamitous— your identity could be stolen and your financial, email, and social networking accounts compromised— but it can destroy an entire business. Not only is the personal information of all the employees at risk, so is the company’s financial information. Further, if someone can gain access to your network, your company’s intellectual property and corporate secrets could be exposed; thus, even if you can recover from a financial hit, the foundation that you built your business on could effectively be gone. As an aside, if you’re traveling for business, it’s also prudent to either avoid using public Wi-Fi networks (which are, by nature, open) for anything involving sensitive data or rely on a VPN (virtual private network) connection to safely connect back to your corporate network. A VPN uses encryption and authentication to provide a sort of secure “tunnel” to your home or business network through which you can safely work, even when using public Wi-Fi. Virus removal Las Vegas done right!

Smart Computing | June 2011 p.47
 

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Mozilla Thunderbird 3.1

Originally, Thunderbird was to Outlook Express what Firefox was to Internet Explorer—an open-source alternative to Microsoft’s unloved but wildly popular Internet software. Today, Outlook Express is no more, but Thunderbird flies on, and though its evolution occurs glacially slowly compared to Firefox, a few major revisions throughout its lifetime have kept up with major email trends. Plus, Is huge array of add-ons and themes makes personalizing it to your tastes spectacularly easy. Like email clients of old, Thunderbird makes heavy use of the folder scheme.Email comes into your Inbox (or “virtual inbox”—more on that in a moment), and it’s generally up to you to create other folders or subfolders to file them away via drag-and-drop. (Though if you don’t want to deal with folders, Thunderbird’s archiving function will clear the Inbox for you and file messages into dated folders.) However, Thunderbird also scans each message and stores keywords and attributes within its own internal database, sort of like Google Desktop Search. Then, when you want to locate an email, just type a few words that you remember were in the email, and the messages appear instantly in a new tab. If Thunderbird finds several messages, it displays filters to the left of the search results to let you quickly cull the list. You can choose to have it display only messages with attachments, or from certain people, or stored in specific folders, or received from a certain account. If you have Web mail accounts set up in addition to conventional POP3 accounts, searches include those messages, too, which is amazingly handy. Sadly, the searched word frequently doesn’t appear in the message summary of the search results, meaning you usually need to take the additional step of opening the found message in a new tab. The index is also used for quickly filtering message folders. A mini toolbar lets you toggle the display of only messages containing attachments, messages from people in your address book, starred messages, or new messages. Thunderbird can cleverly combine the actual folders of your different accounts into virtual folders called “Unified Folders.” For example, your Gmail inbox and your POP3’s incoming messages can all appear in the same “Unified Inbox,” simplifying monitoring multiple accounts. Overall, Mozilla Thunderbird is a good client with a straightforward interface and excellent speed. It’s also brimming with personalization options and features. If none of the other clients appeals to you, Thunderbird is the best place to start. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

CPU | June 2011 p.79
 

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With the arrival of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 last year, we saw the first wave of add-on controllers, on board controllers,and external hard drives for the new interface. With these, you could have gobs of storage with an interface able to move data at SATA-class speeds. USB 2.0only provided 60MBps raw transfer rates,but in the real world, after accounting for overhead, data rates rarely exceeded36MBps. Now, USB 3.0 rockets the raw rate to 640MBps. After overhead, rates of 400MBps remain allegedly feasible,provided there’s no bus limitation. In theory, USB 3.0 should exceed the performance of eSATA,which hasn’t gained much traction in the portable peripherals market. In any case, USB 3.0 is fast enough that the media’s internal transfer speed (disk platter to drive controller, for example), not the drive interface, may become the primary storage bottleneck. That much is the good news, and we’ve enjoyed having a variety of USB3.0 hard drives to choose from. However, SuperSpeed flash drives have been slower to reach the market, and this is a problem for anyone who’s waited impatiently to pour gigabytes of data to or from a flash drive. Cloud storage has capacity, but transfer speeds are too slow for truly large file batches. Portable drives based on 2.5-inch hard drives now store up to 1.5TB, but these remain too big to carry everywhere .Most still use slow USB 2.0 interfaces. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!

CPU | June 2011 p.22
 

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is nothing but storage solution for the Internet. Cloud Storage Service Provider will have a cluster of highly scalable servers with simple web services interface that can be used to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web. In simple terms, Cloud Storage, from an end user perspective is nothing but an unlimited amount of online disk space that is secure, inexpensive, highly available (mostly) to store/backup/restore data from PCs, Laptops and Servers.

Who Should Use Cloud Storage?

Image by arjanveen via Flickr

Anyone who needs secured, backup on a remote server without much worries on maintaining the infrastructure will have to go for Cloud Storage Backup Solutions.

Data Encryption and Disaster Recovery On Cloud Backup.

In Cloud Backup solution, your data resides on an external server outside your home or office, so the data needs to be protected. All of the Cloud backup solutions offer state of the art Data Encryption facility so that your data is compressed and encrypted so that others are unable to use them. Since the data that is backed up is on a remote location, there is a fair amount of disaster recovery is involved. More over, Cloud Storage servers will have data redundancy implemented internally.

Advantages of Cloud Backup Service:

• Safe and secured way of backing up data on a remote data storage
• Accessible from anywhere
• Usually cheap with pay as you go model
• Inbuilt disaster recovery facility
• Highly scalable – no cap on storage limit
• Data backup can be automated
• No need to worry about hardware infrastructure to maintain

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Understand the Threat

The most important factor that makes malware different from other viruses is not the damage but the threat it can cause to your personal information and identity. Viruses are likely to be disruptive and often cause various symptoms like crashes, or data corruption, whereas Malware can be harder to detect and causes more harm to your personal private information such as credit card information, personal id, passwords, daily transactions and other financial activities. Malware is not designed to destroy your system; it is designed to use it for either profit or to obtain confidential information.

How to protect your system from malware?

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Install a reliable malware removal program: One of the best ways to secure the integrity of data on your system is to use an anti malware software. There are a lot of antivirus softwares online that providefree antivirus download protection along with cloud protection that will protect both you and your networks from the malware threat by scanning all incoming data.

Keep your Windows OS updated:

A lot of operating systems keep providing updates to a lot of threats. Keeping your OS updated will go a long way in keeping your computer secure. Activate the “windows update” option in your PC and to help keep your system secure from malware. Computer repair Las Veags.

More:

Beware of websites with malicious content: A lot of pornographic and online gaming sites are more likely to contain malicious software. Avoid browsing a site if your security suite prompts you that it may contain malicious spyware or a virus threat. Also avoid any website that automatically runs its own scripts without seeking your permission.

Avoid using file sharing software: There are a lot of file sharing softwares that are available online. These peer to peer file sharing softwares can be very dangerous for your and your peer’s privacy. Use file sharing software only if you have virus protection software with cloud protection.

Malware can prove to be the most common and dangerous online threat to your system. The above mentioned tips and virus removal Las Vegas , will help prevent a malware infection and keep your system safe.

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What is Malware?

The word Malware is short for malicious software, and is a general term used to describe all of the viruses, worms, spyware, and pretty much anything that is specifically designed to cause harm to your PC or steal your information.

Viruses ?

The term computer virus removal is often used interchangeably with malware, though the two don’t actually have the same meaning. In the strictest sense, a virus is a program that copies itself and infects a PC, spreading from one file to another, and then from one PC to another when the files are copied or shared. Most viruses attach themselves to executable files, but some can target a master boot record, autorun scripts, MS Office macros, or even in some cases, arbitrary files.

Spyware

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Spyware is any software installed on your PC that collects your information without your knowledge, and sends that information back to the creator so they can use your personal information in some nefarious way. This could include keylogging to learn your passwords, watching your searching habits, changing out your browser home and search pages, adding obnoxious browser toolbars, or just stealing your passwords and credit card numbers. Spyware removal

Scareware

Scareware is a relatively new type of attack, where a user is tricked into downloading what appears to be an antivirus application, which then proceeds to tell you that your PC is infected with hundreds of viruses, and can only be cleaned if you pay for a full license. Of course, these scareware applications are nothing more than malware that hold your PC hostage until you pay the ransom—in most cases, you can’t uninstall them or even use the PC.

Trojan Horses Install a Backdoor

Trojan horses are applications that look like they are doing something innocuous, but secretly have malicious code that does something else. In many cases, trojans will create a backdoor that allows your PC to be remotely controlled, either directly or as part of a botnet—a network of computers also infected with a trojan or other malicious software. The major difference between a virus and a trojan is that trojans don’t replicate themselves—they must be installed by an unwitting user. Computer Repair Las Vegas NV

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Worms Infect Through the Network

Computer worms use the network to send copies of themselves to other PCs, usually utilizing a security hole to travel from one host to the next, often automatically without user intervention. Because they can spread so rapidly across a network, infecting every PC in their path, they tend to be the most well-known type of malware, although many users still mistakenly refer to them as viruses. Because worms often exploit a network vulnerability, they are the one type of malware that can be partially prevented by making sure your firewall is enabled and locked down—you’ll still need an updated antivirus software, of course. Virus removal in Las Vegas done right!

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Free Virus Removal by Microsoft:

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

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It  is a free download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple. Virus removal Las Vegas done right!
 

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Why Google Public DNS?

As web pages become more complex and include more resources from multiple origin domains, clients need to perform multiple DNS lookups to render a single page. The average Internet user performs hundreds of DNS lookups each day, slowing down his or her browsing experience. As the web continues to grow, greater load is placed on existing DNS infrastructure.

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Since Google’s search engine already crawls the web on a daily basis and in the process resolves and caches DNS information, we wanted to leverage our technology to experiment with new ways of addressing some of the existing DNS challenges around performance and security. We are offering the service to the public in the hope of achieving the following aims:

* Provide end users with an alternative to their current DNS service. Google Public DNS takes some new approaches that we believe offer more valid results, increased security, and, in most cases, better performance.
* Help reduce the load on ISPs’ DNS servers. By taking advantage of our global data-center and caching infrastructure, we can directly serve large numbers of user requests without having to query other DNS resolvers.
* Help make the web faster and more secure. We are launching this experimental service to test some new ways to approach DNS-related challenges. We hope to share what we learn with developers of DNS resolvers and the broader web community and get their feedback.

To change your DNS settings see this tutorial. Computer repair Las Vegas done right!
 

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Do a complete power reboot on your router and your modem. Cut the power to both of them, than connect the modem first. Wait until it initializes, than connect the power to the router. Hopefully, that will fix your problem, and if it doesn’t,  call Neon Computers so we can Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection. We are the best Computer Repair Las Vegas company, period.
 

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