Author: Marcus

Jing

    As a provider of tech support i find screen shots incredibly helpful when troubleshooting a user’s problem. If everyone knew how to do this it would make my life, as well as the clients, a lot easier. Capturing a screen shot can be as easy as using Windows 7’s snip-it tool or simply pressing the Prnt Scrn (print screen) button and pasting it into paint. From there you can upload the screen shot in order to share it with others or save it to your machine. This is all fine and dandy but i find a little program called Jing a step above. Jing can capture a precise screen shot or video, let you edit it in a user friendly fashion, host it online, and then gives you the option to copy it to the clipboard as a url or download it. 


Jing is free so give it a try: http://www.techsmith.com/download/jing/


My take on SSD’s



I’ve been getting asked a lot of questions about SSD’s lately so i figured i would post about my experiences with them: About 4 months ago i put a 60GB OCZ Agility ($110) SSD in my desktop and have absolutely loved it. I put my operating system (Win 7 Pro x64) and programs on this drive and still have 20GB left over. The biggest performance increases are faster boot times (around 20 seconds), programs startup as if they are minimized, and installations are very quick.

After the hard drive failed in my Dell notebook i decided to upgrade to a Corsair SSD based on my experience with the one in my desktop. I use my notebook mainly to take notes in class, browse the web, and check emails so i opted for a small 30GB SSD (Also, because i couldn’t afford a larger capacity). I store all of my data online (mainly dropbox and google docs) so this justified my reasoning behind this decision as well. In the future i plan to replace my optical drive (CD/DVD) with a high capacity hard drive, for a total of two hard drives.

Now, for my recommendation: If you have a machine that you would like to upgrade and have the money, go SSD. The cost of SSD’s is slowly coming down so if you can’t afford it, wait. If you can decrease your dependency on local storage (your hard drive) then you can sacrifice capacity for a cheaper priced SSD. A great program to figure out how much space you are using on your current machine is Treesize free. This will display how much space you are using and where the utilized space is located.


Removing Malware (PC)

    The number one computer repair i perform is malware (malicious software) removal. It comes in many forms: virus, trojan, worm, spyware, scareware, rootkits… the list goes on. My last post on this topic was a little outdated and unclear so i figured i would start from scratch on the steps i take to perform this chore. These methods are by no means full proof and the only guaranteed method is replacing your machine with a new one.

-Machine is still operating but appears to be infected:


 1: Less severe infections like adware and scareware (ads or a program that try to convince you to purchase their product) can be removed by doing a system restore and performing scans. This is not always the case because the system restore files can also be infected, cross your fingers. On Vista and Windows 7: Click the start button and type “System Restore” in the search box and click enter. Choose an earlier date before the infection occurred and let the program do its work. On XP: Click on the start button->Help and Support->Type “System Restore” in the search box. 


2: Next we will perform scans to make sure the malware is gone. Using another computer, download (free) scanning tools to a USB drive or CD. Download the program (do not install), go to your downloads folder, and click and drag the program (.exe file) to your removable device (USB stick, CD, etc.) I recommend SuperAntiSpyware, SpyBot, and Malwarebytes. 

*Optional: Run CCleaner beforehand to speed up scans 


3: Before we run the scans we must boot into Safe Mode. To do this: restart the machine, tap f8 when it is starting back up (this works on most computers, if not Google your model along with “how to safe mode”), and select “Safe Mode”. The resolution will look odd but stick with me. Plug in the USB stick/ put the CD in the tray and run the installation of the scanning programs. The rest is pretty self explanatory; run the scanners, wait until they are finished, and remove any malicious items that are found.


-Machine freezes or does not boot into Windows


1: Using another computer, download (free) scanning tools to a USB drive or CD. Download the program (do not install), go to your downloads folder, and click and drag the program (.exe file) to your removable device (USB stick, CD, etc.) I recommend SuperAntiSpyware, SpyBot, Malwarebytes, AVG, and Avast.




2: Before we run the scans we must boot into Safe Mode. To do this: restart the machine, tap f8 when it is starting back up (this works on most computers, if not Google your model along with “how to safe mode”), and select “Safe Mode”. The resolution will look odd but stick with me. Plug in the USB stick or put the CD in the tray and run the installation of the scanning programs. The rest is pretty self explanatory; run the scanners, wait until they are finished, and remove any malicious items that are found.


-Machine will not boot into safe mode/ Infection cannot be removed with previously shown methods.


1: Using another computer, download the Avira Rescue Live CD ISO here: http://www.avira.com/en/support-download-avira-antivir-rescue-system.

  Once the download is finished, take out a blank CD/DVD and put the disc in the tray. In Windows 7: double click the ISO file to burn to disc. For XP and Vista I recommend using ImgBurn. Once the file is burned to the disc: restart your machine and tap F12 (this works on most machines, if not Google your model along with “how to boot to CD/DVD”), select boot from CD/DVD. Once Avira starts up, click on the British flag in the bottom left hand corner to change language. Next we want to make sure configuration is set to remove infected files and check the box that says to change the name of the file if it cannot be removed. Once that is done we can run the scan. The scan will take a long time so let the machine sit and do its job. Once the scan is done feel free to skim through the log and take note of files that were removed or renamed. Reboot the machine and hopefully windows boots up. If not, follow the directions below.


–This process can also be done by making a bootable USB device with Avira

*I have left out a very powerful program called ComboFix. In my opinion it is for more advanced users because of the destructive problems it can cause. Here is a guide if you are interested.

-The above directions didn’t work
    
   Malware can do very destructive things to a machine and mess with a ton of settings that are exhaustive to troubleshoot. Instead of wasting a ton of time on this I recommend starting from scratch by reformatting your hard drive and re-installing the operating system (Windows). Hopefully you have all your files backed up, if not try using a Live CD like Ubuntu to recover them. This is a great time to upgrade the operating system if you want to. If not, find the installation disc that came with your machine or purchase one. Restart the machine and tap f12 to boot from the CD/DVD drive and follow the step-by-step installation process.


Feel free to comment below if any of the steps above are not clear.


*Side note: for an always running anti-virus program i recommend Microsoft Security Essentials (FREE). Make sure to uninstall your previous anti-virus program before installing because they can conflict with each other and cause problems. 


Marcus’ Computer Tips 2011-01-30 23:22:00

    Connecting to another computer remotely may seem intimidating to the average PC user but LogMeIn makes this operation effortless. Being able to have access to a remote computer is very handy for situations like accessing files that are not on your local machine or using a powerful machine’s processing power from your laptop. LogMeIn free offers the features of remote sound, file management, printer access, and online chat. It’s as easy as making an account and downloading the client to the machines you wish to have access to.


https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/


PC Decrapifier

    When i get my hands on a new machine i immediately do a clean re-install of the operating system because of all the bloat-ware that comes installed by the manufacturer. This process can be daunting to the average user. The second best method for removing the unwanted, unnecessary, and space hogging software is PC Decrapifier. It does an excellent job of removing these programs with an easy click through menu that is rather speedy compared to manually going to the control panel and uninstalling one-by-one.
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com


How to install Windows 7 on a USB flash drive.

Anonymous asked:


“How do I install Windows7 on a USB key?” 



Optical drives are slowly being outdated with media being stored in the cloud (online). Thin notebooks and netbooks rarely come with a DVD drive anymore making the traditional disc install impossible. To overcome this obstacle I will explain how to turn a flash drive into a bootable installation medium. A program called WinToFlash makes this process pretty easy and today I will explain how to use the program.


Pandora Gadget (Vista/Win7)

I use a couple of Windows’ desktop gadgets for easy access to some frequently used tools; my favorite is Pandora’s desktop gadget. I listen to Pandora at work, at home, and on my HTPC. I get a ton of use out of this gadget and it makes listening to music seamless. Also, NO ADS!

1. The first step before downloading the gadget is signing up for an account if don’t already have one: Register Here

2. The next step is to make sure you have Adobe Flash installed for Internet Explorer: Download here

3. Download the Pandora desktop gadget here.

4. Sign in with your account

Move the gadget anywhere on your desktop (Sidebar only on Vista) by clicking and dragging in the upper right hand corner.

Enable the gadget to always be on top / adjust opacity by right clicking on the Pandora text at the top of the gadget.

*Pandora lets free account listeners listen to up to 40 hours of music per month. I surpass this limit quite often so i bypass this by having multiple accounts with different email addresses (Shhh don’t tell).


Windows HomeGroup

Anonymous asked:

“Is it possible to network a Windows7 Computer and a Window XP with Window 7 being the main one?”

Yes, Windows 7 makes this process very simple with a new feature called Homegroup. For this post I’m going to record a screen capture video on how to use HomeGroup:


Backup your PC!

There are two types of people: Those who have had a hard drive crash, and those that it will happen to one day. I was a victim of the former and consequently lost everything on my laptop hard drive. The average PC user is uneducated that this can be remedied by backing up your hard drive. Of course we can’t prevent a hard drive from mechanically failing because they have moving parts and will eventually fail. However, the data that is on the drive is more important because unlike the hard drive itself, it cannot be replaced. There are many method’s for backing up a hard drive; I will cover the methods in which I find to be the most user-friendly and effective. 


*Their are many other options such as NAS, RAID, home server, etc. that I will not cover in this post.




Online Backups
Pros-Cheap upfront cost, easy configuration, no physical damage can be done.
Cons-Reoccurring costs, VERY slow initial setup (can take days or even weeks), Trusting that your data is secure.


Mozy.com– This option is completely automated, has unlimited storage and is decently cheap at only a couple dollars a month. Search google for mozy coupons and you’ll find 15% off one otherwise, it’s $4.95/month. Mozy also makes restoring very easy. You can download your stuff or pay for a hard copy to be sent do you. Also, if you are worried about your data being seen by others, you can set an encryption key.


CrashPlan– This is more a free backup software than an online storage backup provider. Its strengths focus more on providing different way to backup your files to different locations like to other computers, external hard drives, or your friends Computers. However, if you want to use their online storage it will cost you $4.50/month to upgrade. Encryption of your files is a little less secure with CrashPlan because you will need to upgrade in order to get 448-bit encryption.


External Hard Drive-
Pros-No ongoing costs (unless it fails), High-speed USB file transfers, internet not required.
Cons-Hard drive failure/physical damage, Higher upfront cost (although hard drive prices have come down rapidly).


To figure out just how much hard drive capacity you will need:
1. Go to “my computer”
2. Note the capacity of your hard drive/ drive you would like to back up 
*If you’re using XP Right click on the hard drive you would like to backup and choose properties. 


When in doubt purchase the higher capacity, it’s cheap.


I purchase all of my hard drives off of Newegg.com. They have great return policies, amazing customer service, and most of the time offer the cheapest prices around.


I recently purchased a 120gb external hard drive for my family’s PC that cost only $20.


I recommend using a Mirror Backup program. Besides backing up your files, these programs backup your computer’s operating system and all of your programs. This way you won’t have to reinstall the operating system and all of your programs if your hard drive crashes.

Most of the time the external hard drive will come with backup software.  Windows XP, Vista, and 7 also comes with a backup program. Click on your operating system for directions.