Author Archives: b4computers

Apple Macbook October 2009 to April 2011 bottom case replacement program

Apple will now fix the issue with the rubber bottom on the white unibody MacBook coming off due to issues with glue. This applies to any MacBook purchased between October 2009 and April 2011. The program is available free of charge via your local Apple Store, Apple Authorized Service Providers, or get a self replacement kit. Click the link below for more info.

http://www.apple.com/support/macbook-bottomcase/

Asus RT-AC66U and Asus RT-N66U our favorite top of the line WiFi routers

When asked about what top of the line routers we would recommend this used to be an easy answer. We used to always recommend Linksys routers, but since Cisco bought them out they have declined in reliability year after year. The worst part is Cisco’s recent decision to control the router configuration from their end with what they call as Smart Router. You have to create an account with them in order for you to configure your router. After you read their fine print what this also meant was that they can monitor where you go on the internet. Also if Cisco/Linksys wants to they can turn off your router remotely because of the websites you visit.

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We have chosen to use Asus top of the line RT-AC66U and RT-N66U routers for our WiFi network installations. These models have received great reviews and we have personally tested them in our own networks. The WiFi has great signal range, the router can process 40% more transactions at the same time, and the router is rock solid stable. After the easy initial setup process we upgraded the firmware ‘software’ of the router to version 3.0.0.4.260. The firmware upgrade can be done easily directly from the router setup page.

The difference between the two routers are that the RT-AC66U supports the new ‘AC’ WiFi standard that supports 1300Mbps speed with compatible hardware. The RT-N66U supports the current ‘N’ WiFi at 450Mbps.

The other great features are;

You can visually see how much data is going through the router

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You can connect a USB hard drive to share/stream files, pictures, videos, music or Printer directly to the router.

There is also a VPN server built in so that you can securely connect to your network remotely and have your computer act as if it was on your business or home network.

For more information you can view the following links.

http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTAC66U/

http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN66U/

Some nice early Windows 8 devices Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13

I went to a big box store and they were displaying a few of the new Windows 8 devices. The one that stood out the most is the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 $999. It folds 360 degrees from a standard laptop to a tablet. The hinges feel really strong and Windows 8 runs fluidly.

 

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/ideapad/yoga/yoga-13/?ipromoID=bannerYoga13

Buy a Windows 7 PC and get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99.

If you purchased a qualified Windows 7 PC between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013 you are eligible for this offer. The last day to register and order your Windows 8 upgrade is February 28, 2013.

https://windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US

Speed up Firefox by temporarily disabling Flash

Flashblock is an extension for the Firefox that blocks ALL Flash content from loading. It then leaves placeholders on the webpage that allow you to click to download and then view the Flash content.

Flashblock currently blocks the following content types:

* Macromedia Flash * Macromedia Shockwave * Macromedia Authorware

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/flashblock/?src=ss

Spring 2012 NYC SAFE Disposal Events

The NYC Department of Sanitation is holding five SAFE Disposal Events this spring (one in each borough) to provide NYC residents with a one-stop method to get rid of potentially harmful household products. This includes electronic devices and more information can be found here nyc.gov/safedisposal.

When & Where

All events will be held from 10am to 4pm (rain or shine).

Sunday April 22 10am-4pm

Manhattan

Union Square, North Plaza view map south of 17th St between Park Ave & Broadway cars enter at Park Ave & 18th St
Saturday April 28 10am-4pm

Queens

St. John’s University, Alumni Hall Parking Lot view map corner of Utopia Parkway & Union Turnpike cars enter at gate 3 on Union Turnpike & 175th St
Sunday May 6 10am-4pm

Brooklyn

Prospect Park, Park Circle view map corner of Parkside Ave & Prospect Park SW cars enter from Parkside Ave
Saturday May 12 10am-4pm

Bronx

Lehman College, South Lot view map on Goulden Ave, south of Bedford Park Blvd West
Saturday May 19 10am-4pm

Staten Island

Staten Island Mall, Parking Lot F view map near main entrance, 2655 Richmond Ave

 

 

 

 

 

Speed up IE by temporarily disabling Flash

Most of the time internet explorer is slow because it has to load all those Adobe Flash based advertisments. Below are instructions on enabling and disabling on a per website basis. This way you can enable Flash when you are on a video streaming website like YouTube and off for all other websites.

* For Windows Vista and Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 9

Internet Explorer 9 has built feature called activex filtering. This feature disables features like Flash and Java.  First, enable ActiveX Filtering via the Tools Menu:

Tools > Safety > ActiveX Filtering

When you visit a webpage that contains ActiveX controls, IE will prevent the controls from loading. IE displays an icon in the address bar to indicate that the ActiveX controls have been filtered:

If you visit a webpage that contains ActiveX content you want to view, you can simply turn off filtering for that website. Click the icon to display the fly-out window.

From here you can choose to turn off ActiveX Filtering. Once you take action, IE refreshes the page to ensure that all ActiveX content on the webpage runs. Now that you’ve turned off ActiveX Filtering for the webpage, the icon on the address bar changes state accordingly. After you’ve finished viewing the content, you can click on the icon and turn filtering back on if you’d like, or you can leave filtering off for this website.

* For Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7 and 8

Click on the link below for instructions on how to install a toolbar icon called toggle flash

http://flash.melameth.com/togflash.html

Electronics recycling January 7 2012

-Recycle your trees, recycle your unwanted goods-

The Alliance for Downtown New York will host a MulchFest and Electronic Waste Recycling Event to help New Yorkers avoid a post-holiday headache by collecting holiday trees and unwanted electronic goods on Saturday, January 7, 2012.

The event – run in conjunction with the New York City Departments of Parks and Recreation and Sanitation and the Lower East Side Ecology Center – will take place at the south end of Bowling Green Park starting at 10 AM. Free hot apple cider, light snacks and recycling bags will be given away.

Date:           Saturday, January 7, 2012

Time:           MulchFest: 10 AM to 2 PM
                     E-Waste: 10 AM to 4 PM
Location:    Bowling Green Park (Broadway and Whitehall)

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is recommending that anyone planning to drop off a tree remove all lights and ornaments before bringing them to the MulchFest site.

The Downtown Alliance will once again run a Chip Trip, a special Downtown Connection bus that will stop only at major residential hubs: three stops in Battery Park City and three stops on the east side of the district. The Chip Trip bus will be clearly labeled and will run its route every half hour. Residents can board the Chip Trip bus with a tree and the bus will transport them to Bowling Green.

The locations are:

  • The corner of Wall and William Streets
  • The corner of John and Gold Streets
  • Pearl Street between Fulton Street and Beekman Street
  • West Thames Street between Battery Place and South End Avenue
  • The corner of South End Avenue and Albany Street

The event is cosponsored by the New York City Department of Sanitation, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Con Edison, FiDi Association, Whole Foods, Crumbs, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, and Community Board 1.

The Lower East Side Ecology Center and Tekserve are hosting the electronic waste event. Items that will be accepted are: working and non-working computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, televisions, videocassette recorders, DVD players, phones, audio/visual equipment, cell phones and personal digital assistants. For more details or for questions about items that can be accepted at the event, please visit www.lesecologycenter.orgor call (212) 477-4022.

Cocoon GRID-IT organizer

My friend showed me a product that when you first look at it you say to yourself what is it? He then showed me one that he had fully utilized and I then said out loud genius. It is a product from a company called Cocoon the actual item is called GRID-IT. It can be used for so many different uses. You can use it to organize chargers, cables, tools, devices, makeup  and so on. You can also use it for packing when leaving on a trip. Its hard to forget if you packed something when you can see everything in one location. Grid-it comes in many different sizes and colors. I am so excited about this product I have partnered with the store owner at the 28 Warren Street drop off location and we are going to start selling them. Below are pictures of how its used. It would be a great gift idea for a messy person or a neat freak like my friend 😉

Broken laptop LCD screen replacement information and service sale

When clients bring in their laptops with a broken LCD screen they are pleasantly surprised by the low cost and the quality of their new screen. We usually get a comment like wow that looks better than my old screen. They usually start by going to the manufacturer of the laptop first for quotes and are shocked by the price of the repair. Laptop manufacturers like Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Sony charge $400 and up for a screen replacement. They also usually have a 7 to 30 day turn around time. Or if you get a very low quote for screen replacement repairs they are the cheap no name types.

Just like flat screen televisions all laptop LCD screens are not built the same. To make it simple to understand the higher quality screens can show more colors (versus a washed out look) and can be viewed from different angles (versus getting darker).

We have worked with many laptop LCD suppliers over the years. For the past 6 months we have been purchasing screens from two suppliers that have reliably made us and our clients very happy. They provide brand name high quality LCDs, securely packed and deliver on time. They even provide next day overnight delivery for only $30 more. The average price of a screen is $70 to $125 plus shipping. We are usually able to purchase an exact match or newer revision of the original screen. High quality screen suppliers plus the expert technicians at b4computers are a winning combination that can’t be beat.

With this announcement we are also providing a discount on the service to install the screens. Till the end of January 2012 we are offering $25 off the usual $75 service charge.