Speed up your computer with SSD

upgrade hdd to ssdIf you have a computer with only a mechanical hard drive inside and it’s getting too slow, upgrading to an SSD is a cheap and simple way to get a big speed increase. Traditional hard drives are mechanical devices that on the inside look like mini record players. They can be damaged by bumps and drops. A typical hard drive speed maxes out 120MB per second.

An SSD drive uses memory chips to store your information. There are no moving parts so vibrations, bumps and drops do not damage an SSD. Most SSD drive speed maxes out at 550MB per second.

SSD speed increase will help with the following;
Starting your computer and opening programs
Opening multiple webpage tabs and windows at the same time
Photo and video rendering programs like Photoshop and Premiere
Music editing and DJ programs like Audacity and VirtualDJ

Our favorite internal SSD we recommend for our clients is the Samsung 860 Evo it has a great price to performance ratio. You can purchase an SSD from this link just make sure you pick one that has more space than you are using. Also available are external SSD drives that can be purchased from this link.

We can clone your existing mechanical hard drive to a new SSD so all your programs and settings will be exactly the same. An SSD can be installed in laptops and desktops. For most computers the cost will be $150 in labor call today to schedule an appointment.

Windows 7 support ending upgrade to Windows 10

upgrade windows 7 to windows 10On January 14 2020 Microsoft will stop supporting and releasing security updates for Windows 7. Microsoft provided 10 years of support since it was released on October 22, 2009. Windows 7 will still continue to function but with a higher security risk when connected to the internet. Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 8 on January 10 2023.

An Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 CPU will provide the best performance when you upgrade to Windows 10. Upgrading windows 8 to windows 10 will allow you to take advantage of the new features. You can still upgrade Windows 7 and Windows 8 to Windows 10 for free. But you have to update drivers, bios and uninstall incompatible software on your own. Windows 10 was release on July 29 2015 giving Microsoft time to streamline the upgrade process and keep it running smoothly.

We have been upgrading all of our existing business and home clients to Windows 10 successfully to extend their initial investment. Drop off your computer and we will do all that is necessary to successfully upgrade to Windows 10. For most computers this will be a labor charge of $150. For businesses we can come to you and upgrade all your computers for $90 per hour.  For clients who decide to purchase new computers we can help to transfer data and reinstall programs. Call to schedule an appointment to upgrade to Windows 10.

Asus RT-AC1900P favorite wireless router

The Asus RT-AC1900P wireless router is the one we currently recommend to everyone. This is an updated version of the older RT-AC68U model. The wireless router has all the necessary features and not the most expensive one. This also replaces our last recommended router Asus RT-AC66U. Call and make an appointment and we can install it in your office or home.

The features most people will care about are
Wireless AC 1300
Same speed dual core 1.4 ghz CPU as the higher priced models
Create your own VPN to your home or office
Can be used as a wireless network extender or access point

Read more info at Asus’s website
https://www.asus.com/Networking/RT-AC1900P/

asus rt-ac1900p

Macbook Pro 2011 2012 2013 recall

There is a Macbook Pro 2011 2012 2013 recall that fixes video problems.

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will repair affected MacBook Pro systems, free of charge.

Symptoms

An affected MacBook Pro may display one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
  • No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on
  • Computer restarts unexpectedly

Products affected

  • 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2011
  • 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina models manufactured from Mid 2012 to Early 2013

https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

Cryptolocker Ransomware Prevention Program

Cryptolocker ransomeware type of viruses go by the names of FBI virus, CBT locker, cryptowall, crowti, Teslacrypt, nymaim and others. They basically try to get you to give them money so that you can access your computer and files again.

There is a program called CryptoPrevent you can install on your computer to help prevent ransomware type of virus infections. It does not remove the virus on your computer and your computer must currently be free of viruses. First run a virus scan on your computer then download and install the program. When the program opens up select default and click apply. The free version does not update itself so you have to check for updates manually as shown in the picture below. The paid version provides automatic updates.

You can download the program from the company’s website at
https://www.foolishit.com/cryptoprevent-malware-prevention/
or http://www.majorgeeks.com/mg/getmirror/cryptoprevent,1.html

cryptoprevent

#ransomware

Check Your Mac Hard Drive For Failure

On Apple iMac and MacBook computers if the hard drive is failing you do not get a warning. The hard drive uses an internal program called S.M.A.R.T. to report its condition but OSX never tells you about it. A sign of a failing drive is when it takes a long time to open a program. Use one of the following trial programs to check your mac hard drive for failure. If the program shows bad sectors call us and we can duplicate your bad drive onto a new one and save your data.

Voltan Smart Utility
http://www.volitans-software.com/smart_utility.php

Core Code SMARTReporter
http://www.corecode.at/smartreporter/

#macdrivefailure

SMART utility

Windows Check Disk Simple Procedure

When a hard drive starts to fail the computer can start to work slowly even when everything else is fine. We recommend running check disk on your internal and external hard drives once a month and it will attempt to recover the drive. Below is a free program CheckDIskGUI that reduces the number of steps to check your hard drive. The scan takes about 2 hours to complete, start it before you go to sleep or leave the office. After the scan completes the computer will automatically restart back into windows. Then run a program called CrystalDiskInfo that will report  the condition of the hard drives. If CrystalDiskInfo reports a problem call us right away and we can duplicate and save your information on a new drive. Once a hard drive starts to go bad it will only get worse so don’t hesitate to replace it.

Perform the following steps on all you Microsoft Windows computers to check if your hard drive is working properly.
1. Download and run Check Disk GUI at
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/checkdiskgui.html
2. Select all your internal and external usb drives you want to check. Your main internal drive is usually C: . If you are running bootcamp on an Apple computer do not select Macintosh HD.

Check Disk GUI

3. Select Fix and Recover
4. Select yes to schedule a scan and restart your your computer

check disk gui step two

5. After the scan completes download and run CrystalDiskInfo at
http://crystalmark.info/redirect.php?product=CrystalDiskInfo
If the program says caution or bad then the drive is failing.

crystaldiskinfo

Superfish Virus Removal Tool

There have been reports of Lenovo preinstalling bloatware on their consumer line of computers with one of them having a security risk. Many PC manufacturers install trial programs and ads on computers they sell called bloatware to make extra money. They are usually not a problem but can be annoying to uninstall them all on a new computer. A program they installed to serve ads based on the images you are viewing can be used by other websites to do harmful things to your computer.

Microsoft puts a stamp on clean computers called Microsoft Signature Edition they have none of these programs or ads installed and they work better.

To check if your computer has a program that works like superfish click the link below.
https://filippo.io/Badfish/

Lenovo has released a tool to completely remove the program.
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/product_security/superfish_uninstall

#superfishremovaltool

Preview and Play Online Videos with Bing

Here is a neat feature for Bing video search feature that Google doesn’t have. On Bing you can search for videos by topic then then preview or play the video without leaving the website. The benefit of this is that you don’t have to wait for the website that actually contains the video to load along with all the ads or viruses. You can also right click the video and select open in new window without your search result page being lost. The new window can sized to fit the video then be moved to another monitor. With multiple video windows playing on a second monitor at the same time this can have many uses.

Try it out at http://www.bing.com/videos/

#bingvideosearch

MacBook Pro Video Problem Free Repair by Apple

If you have a MacBook Pro manufactured between 2011 and early 2013 with video issues Apple will fix it for free. Problems include distorted video, no video and random restarts. If you already paid for the repair you can get a refund.

For more information click below.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

To check if you are eligible click below and schedule service.
https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

#macbookprovideoproblem