Oftentimes, when arriving to a job with a client, our technicians find that the client has either misplaced or lost their Windows repair disc. While our technicians are? still equipped with the tools that a repair necessitates, it’s always helpful if the client has an extra disc lying around.
Though it?s considerably more stable than previous versions of Microsoft?s operating system, Windows 7 is still susceptible to the occasional crash, requiring the creation of a repair disc for those instances when an unanticipated problem is encountered.
Below, you?ll find the necessary steps to take if you wish to create one:
In the Start menu, bring up the search box and enter:
system repair disc
Once entered, this command will summon a window that allows you to select the drive in which the creation of this disc will occur. Taking up just a minimal amount of space, a CD ? rather than a DVD ? will suffice.
Upon its creation, you?ll have in your possession an invaluable tool that will ease the headache of a system crash.
Now, we?ll look at its use.
Again, Windows 7 has received high marks for its stability, but no operating system is immune to the unforeseen emergence of problems that are often the product of either user error or malware.
If a problem arises, insert your repair disc into your drive and boot Windows from it. Select Windows Setup [EMS Enabled]
Once the boot process has completed, you?ll be able to select various recovery tools or return the computer to a previous system image.
As you see, you?re given a list of options, all them different methods of achieving the same goal: recovery of your system.
While I hope the state of your computer never reaches this stage, having this disc at your disposal should make things easier if it does.
It certainly helps our technicians when they’re onsite.
Computer Geeks specializes in system recovery, and we?re here to help you along that process.
Windows XP has many features and options.? Some of these features are simply eye-candy.? These can make the system look nicer but they add no functionality and actually slow the system down.? In this post I will show you how to use Microsoft’s Guided Help titled “How to set performance options in Windows XP.”?? On some systems this will increase performance up to 5%.? It can be very noticeable.? On others it wont be as noticeable, but still any increase you can get is worth it.
Click on the Download Guided Help link.? You should see this window next:
Click on the Run button.? Then wait until you see this window:
Click on the Run button here too.? You will then see this window:
Make sure This Computer is selected and click the Next button.
Click on the text for Do it automatically.? Wait for the guided process to get to this next window before doing anything else.
Select “Adjust for best performance” and then click the Next button on the little Guided Help window.? Wait for the screen to look like this:
Now you should already have Programs selected, if not then select that option.? Hit the Next button on the Guided Help window.? It will move down to the next option.
Again Programs should already be selected for you, but if isnt then select it.? Hit the Next button on the Guided Help window again.
This window should have the right opton selected as well.? Just make sure No is selected and hit Next.
It should take between a few seconds and a minute for you to see a screen that looks like that.? You will notice all the pretty blue and green graphics are gone and everything is back to the standard windows grey.? Click the Continue button on the Guided Help window.
At this point your done, you can click the Ok button and close the website.? For best results you should reboot at this time.
Now you should have a slightly more optimized system thanks to Microsoft and Computer Geeks.? For more performance gains and other helpful support don’t hesitate to call Computer Geeks.
In the next installment I will show you a simple tool for removing unneeded startup items automatcally.
Commonly experienced by even the newest computers,? the diminished performance of a system? can be attributed to any number of problems.? It could be software or hardware, conflicting drivers, or a memory leakage.
Whatever the root cause of your frustration, arriving at an answer isn’t easy, but having a direction in which to travel just became a bit more manageable.
PC Pitstop is a neat diagnostic tool that provides users with a comprehensive overview of their system — performance, security, drivers, etc.
It’s free and easy to use, with results that may surprise you.? Again, while it won’t fix whatever’s ailing your system, PC Pitstop will highlight those areas around which you might want to focus.
Our business is making sure your computer runs as well as possible. Taking a few simple steps on your own can be a fast and easy way to get your system running better, even if you aren’t able to solve matters on your own. Remember, whenever you hit one of those frustrating situations that’s a little beyond your ability to handle, Computer Geeks is just a click or a phone call away.
Computer Geeks is always staying on top of the latest malware to emerge from underbelly of the internet. In addition to providing the best onsite technical assistance in this industry, we pride ourselves on alerting you to the latest pests to watch out for.
Most recently, hapless internet users have fallen prey to the URLZone Trojan, a decidedly nasty bug that rewrites their online bank statements to conceal fraud.
This bug is tucked away on websites ? many of them legitimate ? with the Luckyspoilt toolkit. Unbeknownst to visitors of these websites, bogus .PDF files or Javascripts traffic the URLZone Trojan onto their computers.
Once planted on the victim’s system, the bug begins to record keystrokes that are performed whenever they’re logged into their online bank account, pairing that with screenshots it takes of the user?s activity while they navigate the account. ?This information is then fed to the source of the bug, a command and control center located ?in the Ukraine.
With your information in their possession,? the perpetrators of this fraud transfer money from the user?s account. After the theft, the Trojan forges a bank statement to deceive the user into believing their account is not compromised, always ensuring that their online bank statement reflects a positive balance.
A more in-depth overview of this threat and its implications can be found here.
Computer Geeks always advises its clients to exercise vigilance when browsing the internet. If you think your computer has been compromised by malware, call our offices immediately.
From creating spreadsheets to playing the latest games, we use our computer for multiple purposes, one of the most common being our navigation of the internet.? With the use of the internet occupying so much of our time, it stands to reason that we?d want to enhance that experience as best we can.
When it comes to internet browsers, there isn’t a more ubiquitous one than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Bundled with Microsoft Windows, the most widely used operating system in the personal computing market, Internet Explorer is the standard by default.? However, in spite of its widespread use, there are alternatives to Internet Explorer that are arguably more popular with the geeks amongst us.
Because of its de facto popularity, a result of being packaged with Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer has seen only incremental advances in how it functions. This lack of innovation has paved the way for competitors to release alternative choices which offer greater functionality and more reliable security for users browsing the internet.
Of those choices, my favorite is Mozilla?s Firefox.
Free and thoroughly customizable, Firefox is fast becoming the choice to which users are migrating from Microsoft?s problematic browser, its superior functionality immediately apparent:
Firefox includes helpful features that augment the browsing experience, such? as spell checking and saving sessions for those who accidentally quit the browser.
hundreds of plug-ins afford users a staggering level of customization for their browsing experience.
Though Internet Explorer now has tabbed browsing , which allows multiple pages to be opened within a single browser, Firefox? tabbed browsing is faster and easier to manage.
With the advent of malware, those bugs that creep along the porous byways of the internet highway, your computer remains at risk whenever you use the internet. When it comes to security, Firefox is unmatched, with seamless updates that keep you protected from vulnerabilities that leave Internet Explorer users subject to spyware and viruses.
While your internet browser of choice is a personal preference, there?s no denying that Firefox adds a bit more to the experience than Internet Explorer. Yes, Microsoft?s offering has certainly taken steps in the right direction, but much of its improvements were available in the first version of Firefox.
The functionality of Firefox may prove daunting to new users, but Computer Geeks is always available to show them how to get the best out of its use.
Slow performance is the toll incurred by every computer, no matter how cutting edge it was when purchased.? While the technology housed within the computer remains static, the industry behind that technology moves forward, ?always introducing new advances in how we compute.
The frustration we feel when confronted by slow performance is understandable, when considering its impact on our use. From diminished productivity in the office to its interruption of our home use, sluggish performance is a common problem that can be attributed to a number of causes, one of the most prevalent being a fragmented hard drive.
Fragmentation occurs when the data on your hard drive is no longer sequentially ordered. As an example, looking at the first five letters of the alphabet, we? have:
A? B? C? D? E
As time progresses, with the addition of new information and the deletion of old data, that sequence becomes disordered. If left unaddressed, it eventually reads as:
A? E? C? D B
The allocation of data on your hard drive has been rendered a chaotic mess, making it all the more difficult for your system to efficiently retrieve data when necessary. Returning to the alphabet theme, imagine having to recite the letters in the alphabet exactly as we?ve all been taught, only in a fragmented sequence:
A Q C D T Y G M I V K L H N O P B R S E U J W X F Z
Reading it off from that sequence above, your recitation of the alphabet certainly isn?t as smooth as you remember, is it?
That?s exactly what your hard drive is doing when suffering from fragmentation. Without a sequential allotment of your data, it takes longer to access information, resulting in the slow performance many witness when using their computers.
Defragmentation is the answer to this problem. As its name suggests, defragmentation reverses the state of fragmentation, sequentially ordering your data for faster retrieval.? Defragmentation can be performed by any number of tools, all readily available on the internet. While you can always use the defragmentation tool that comes with your Windows operating system, I prefer Defraggler.
Created by the same company that gave us CCleaner, Defraggler is an easy to use tool that performs all of your defragmenting needs. To ensure optimal performance of the computer, we advise you to perform defragmentation once a month.
Should you have any additional questions about this process, simply ask.
