4 Ways to Enhance your Computer’s Life

It was not long ago when computer became the need of almost every household. From personal use to office use computer has become an indispensable item of technology man has ever gifted to himself. This little magic box, however, has its pros and cons— the machine inside the box can breakdown at any given point in time, if not handled with care. Here is how you can extend the life of your computer.

Keep your PC Clean

Unless you are working in vacuum, virtually every PC becomes loaded with dust, hairballs, and other intruding particles overtime. Left uncleaned for a long time, the dirt can cause enough damage to the hardware inside your PC, heating up the machines sooner than usual therefore putting lot of stress on the components. The cumulative effect of the dust and heat can result into reduced PC performance and sometimes premature death. In order to enhance the lifespan of your PC, it is important to clean it thoroughly in every 6-12 months. There are many computer cleaning equipment available in the market. Make sure you use the instructions written on the packaging before using them.

Allow your PC to Breathe

Proper ventilation is another crucial factor to maintain the longevity of your computer. No doubt fans and ACs help in cooling the machine, but they can be ineffective if your PC has stuffy surrounding. Ensure you PC gets proper ventilation and has access to cool air. Do not keep the computer inside a closed cabinet or near to any heater vent or space heater.

Protect your Hard Drive

Hard drives are easily prone to damage with a single software glitch.  It becomes corrupt with file system errors and bad sectors due to improper shutdowns, crashes, and other issues, which in turn damage files and causes system failure if things get bad. Nevertheless, if you are using Windows in your machine then the machine has an inbuilt Check Disk feature to repair corruption, all you need to do is run the Check Disk tool in your system. If still you are unable to fix the glitch, take assistance of a professional residential computer support service provider.

Protection PC Against Power Fluctuation

A computer has several sensitive circuits and machineries and any large fluctuation in power can damage them. Some people think that plugging the computer into a surge protector may fix the problem, but the fact is, the surge protector loses its protection mechanism with even a sudden rise in the power. It may still continue to power the device offering false sense of security. It is suggested to check the status of the protector at regular period, not to get fooled by it. Not only your computer, but other gadgets such as laptop and mobile phones are also sensitive to power fluctuation, make sure you have proper protection for them.

Conclusion

In addition to above mentioned propositions, there are many other things taking care of which can enhance the life of your machine. If, however, your machine breaks down, it is always advisable to take professional assistance. Hire only a reputed residential computer support service provider.

A Handy Guide to Find a Trusted Remote Support Service Provider

Thanks to advancement in the realm of technology, several computer glitches can now be fixed without taking the system anywhere. This type of advancement is called remote support which has already gained the momentum in the market. Here is everything you need to know about remote support service.

Remote Support: An Overview

Remote support is an advanced technology that allows a computer technician to service computer from a remote location. This way the user doesn’t have to travel to the repair shop, also the technicians don’t have to come where the computer is located. Also regardless of the location of the technician, he will be able to rectify your computer related problems in a secure manner. He can easily connect to your desktop, access your desktop screen in a manner as if he is sitting right there in your home or office. Most of the remote support service provider also provide custom built desktop computer services, you just need to look around a little to find a credible provider. Here is what you need to keep in mind when looking for a credible remote support provider.

Features of a Trusted Service Provider

As the service provider gets access to your computer for the repair, he may also get access to your personal information saved in the system. Therefore, you need to find a trustworthy remote support service provider.

Reliability

When looking for remote support services, it is important that you employee a reliable service provider. These days google has made it easy to identify the credibility of the service provider by looking for customer’s reviews for the same provider posted online. Also there are many websites available online that help customers find best remote support services in their area.

Caliber

Ensure that the service provider you choose employs trained and certified computer technicians and have considerable years of experience in offering remote computer services. All such information is easily available on the provider’s website.

Affordability

Affordability it the most critical factor in deciding the right service provider. However, before coming to any conclusion it is good to compare the services and their costs with at least 2-3 service providers.
Guarantee

Sometimes what may go wrong with your machine the next moment is quite unpredictable, sometimes the already fixed technical glitch can still go wrong after a couple of days, therefore it is important to employ a remote service provider who offers substantial guarantee for its services and also  promises comprehensive customer support services for future problems.

Conclusion

Remote support service is highly significant as it helps people as well as businesses save time and money. However, having said that, you may also be risking your confidential data stored in your computer as there are many scammers among genuine providers. It is for this reason and for your convenience consider these factors before hiring the services of a remote support provider and ensure the safety of your data.

Computer Repair Service: Online vs On Site

One fact that stands true in this technological age is the rigorous use of computers on a daily basis -- something you just cannot avoid. The accompanying computer glitches are no less unavoidable. No matter the kind of software or hardware problem, You may either go for the  DIY approach or call a desktop computers repair professional. It’s always advisable to call a repair professional as they are better equipped to solve any computer related problem at any point of time. Though many may prefer an onsite computer repair service, others would like to get online help. If you were to choose between online and on site option, ask yourself these questions and find the way out. 

How Major is the Hardware or Software Problem?

Finding how big your computer’s hardware or software problem is stands the first step to determine whether you need an onsite computer repair service or remote help. Remember, unless your computer’s screen has gone completely blank, it is not able to take the power supply completely or there is a blue screen of death, calling a remote support won’t make much sense. Again, if you have serious internet connectivity issues, any online computer professional won’t be able to connect to your computer and solve the problem.

How Soon You Need Help?

How quick you want your computer to get restored to a perfect running condition is, again, really important to decide whether you should go for online support or visit a computer repair shop physically. Needless to say, if you know that the problem is not major and can be taken care through remote support, get online help. On the other hand, getting the problem rectified by personally visiting a local shop would mean unplugging your computer, loading it to your car, and transporting it to the venue, which is both tedious and time-consuming.

How Fast Is Your Internet Connection?

Many professional desktop repair services offer remote support these days. The reason, many computer users have high speed internet connections, but not all. It is wise to go for online support if you have a fast and reliable internet connection, and though a slow connection can also do the job, it would be really time-consuming, and costly.

Conclusion

Regardless of the type and intensity of the computer issue, many people prefer to work face-to-face. They are, basically, ‘people person’, who like talking to the computer repair technician in person and explaining their problems in detail. No matter you take online support or visit your area’s local computer repair shop physically, it is imperative to only consult companies that are professionals in the business. Good desktop repair service providers have the right resources--people and tools--use the latest technologies, and offer cost-effective and customized solutions that tailor to your specific problems.

4 Healthy Habits to Keep Your Macbook Running for Years

Apple’s Macbooks are easy to maintain and highly durable. But that doesn’t mean you become complacent and completely ignore its maintenance. These simplest Macbook maintenance tips will help you keep your Macbook in best shape and running to its best capacity for longer than you have ever thought.

Run Disk Utility

Running disk utility every month is essential for repairing and most importantly for the verification and repair of the hard drive. Disk utility is available in all Macbooks and can be easily spotted in the Applications and then utilities folder. Both utilities options —Repairing Disk Permission and Verify Disk Permission are available under the ‘First Aid’ tab and can run one after another.

Keep Mac’s Software Up-to-date

Regular updating of Mac’s software is very essential. To ensure smooth run of your machine, it is important that you run software update regularly, let’s say after every 7 days. To do that click on Apple Menu and keep visiting Mac App Store for updates. There can be updates for various things:

●    General fixes
●    Feature enhancements
●    Security fixes

Updating your Macbook is very easy, you just have to click on the install button, if you find the update useful for your Mac. Though software updates check for the updates by default, Mac Apple store has to visit at least once a week for updates in OS X Lion. However, if you are not sure whether to install the update, contact a credible Apple Mac repair center.

Clean off the Desktop

Having too many files saved on your desktop slows down your Mac. Although slowdown is not that noticeable on the brand new Macbook it is still recommended to keep your desktop clean for best utility. Too many files and their icon previews take up the RAM and resources resulting in sluggishness of the Mac and also the desktop looks cluttered. The best practice is to fill scattered things in an appropriate folder.

Regular Back up

Make a habit of having regular backup of your Mac. It not only enables you to instantly recover from potential technical glitch, but having a backup is a good management practice to overcome your shortcomings. The simplest and easiest way to keep the backup is through time machine for which you will also require an external hard drive. Once you have set up Time Machine the machine runs automatic back up without any effort.

If in case you are having some issues with your Macbook do not try to fix it on your own, if you don’t have proper understanding of the machine. Consider contacting an authorized Mac repair service center in your area.

Learn How to Avoid Tech Support Computer Repair Scam

In recent years, tech scammers are making extensive use of phones to break into your computer. They make calls claiming to be PC support from renowned companies for example Microsoft. They take advantage of the vulnerability of non-technical people, and trick them into giving remote access or paying for software they don’t need.

More often than not, the calls are regarding the security threats to user’s computer due to virus or malwares. These scammers know that almost every computer user knows the importance of installing security software. But these calls are not really to fix the security issues of your PC, rather scammers have a devious objective behind their calls and it’s to make money. Businesses worldwide and residential computer owners in particular have fallen victim to such tech support computer repair scam.

To prevent these scammers taking advantage of your vulnerability here is how are some tips to keep in mind when you get any such calls.

Tech Support calls: Dos and Don’ts

 

If you get a call from someone claiming to be a tech support person, don’t confide in the person straight away. They may try to take you into confidence by any means, don’t come to any conclusion so soon, but yes you need to act smart. Hang up the call and call the company yourself. Look for a genuine number company’s website. A caller who is trying to persuade you creating a sense of urgency or you feel any sort of pressure from the caller probably you have received a call from a scam artist. In order to play safe keep these tips in mind.

• Don’t disclose any sort of information to a third party who calls you out of nowhere.
• Do not solely rely on the caller ID to conclude that you have got a genuine call. Scam artists spoof caller ID numbers. They may appear to be calling from local area or genuine company when in real they may not be even in the same country as you.
• Never commit a mistake of disclosing your financial information to someone who calls you randomly and claims to be calling from Tech Support Computer Repair.
• Never disclose your password on the phone. No authentic company calls you and asks for the password.
• Lastly, as they say safety is better than cure, if at all you require tech support computer repair services, whether for Hard Drive data recovery service or for any other purpose, call your service provider directly and ask for help.

Conclusion

Tech support computer repair scam has become a common phenomenon in digital world. Any computer user at any given point in time may fall victim to it. Nevertheless, a little homework can help you prevent the situation. Hope this brief read helps you stay clear of potential tech support computer scam forever.

Did Flood or a Water Leakage Damage the Hard Drive? Here’s the way Forward

Hurricanes, thunderstorms, and pipe leaks are the last things you want in your life, but they do come uninvited damaging your personal property and causing loss of thousands of dollars. When this happens, you would not only want to repair your house, car and furniture, but also your computer and the data inside it. In fact, owing to the digitalized storage of every vital information these days, preventing your vital data from any water damage is more important than ever. However, what if your hard drive or solid state drive comes in contact with water. 

We show you the way forward to recovery. Follow these steps.

 Put the Unplugged Drive Inside an Airtight Bag

 
The road to data recovery shortens the moment you act fast. If the case is otherwise, these chances start fading, slowly making the possibility of data recovery become nil. Given this, as soon as you know that your computer or hard drive has come in contact with water, immediately unplug your computer from any outlets. Carefully remove the hard drive from your system, and place it inside an airtight plastic bag. Better contact your computer’s manufacturer for further help. If unsure of what to do, call your area’s hard drive data recovery service. 

Let the Hard Drive Stay wet 

 
When wet, cleaning your hard drive with a cloth or other agent sounds obvious. However, you should avoid this in every way, as all types of water, especially flood waters, contain minerals and particles that stick to platter’s of the hard drive once it is dried. Naturally, this makes the cleaning process complex than easing it. Not to forget that hard drive platters require special cleaning agents that are only effective in cleanroom environments. Using a household cleaning solution is, therefore, bound to turn data recovery impossible, and add to your worries. 

Never Open the Hard Drive 

 
DIY tips help you save money, but they are not effective at all times. The reason, you either lack the required tools or the expertise. In fact, many people take the detrimental step of removing the cover from a wet hard drive, without knowing or understanding that the hard drive is made of extremely sensitive platters easily susceptible to airborne particles. If not treated inside Class 100 Cleanrooms, the data on your hard drive may be lost forever. This is the reason taking the help of professional hard drive data recovery services makes a lot of sense. 

Conclusion

 
Besides observing these guidelines, there’s nothing much at your disposal in terms of recovering a wet drive’s data. As water usually contains contaminants that may scratch the platter if you run your hard drive, it is wise to call a professional instead of deploying DIY tips you are not sure of. A professional has the required tools, and the skill to manage such issues. Equipped with rich experience, he can do the job better than you in any condition.

IT Support Service: The Logical Solution to Your IT Problems

Irrespective of the size of the business, computer technology has become a prerequisite for almost every business. While computers offer ease-of-work and connectivity to streamline businesses, the challenges that follow are worth considering. There’s a lot that can go wrong with computers—the network, system updates, security, hardware, software and what not.

The challenge is more critical for start-ups and mid-size companies, which lack proper resources including IT specialists to handle the problem that arises with computer networks. In such scenario when system goes down, more often than not companies look out for local repair tech., who may or may not be available at the moment. Where some businesses may afford to wait for the technician others can’t. The need of the hour is to partner with managed IT support service provider that can offer 24/7 remote monitoring of your system, and a team of technical support on call. 

We give you 5 reasons to hire third party IT support services

Cost-effective
Having an in-house IT department increases company’s overhead. Outsourcing IT support service eliminates such overheads and you get 24/7 access to a team of IT technicians without the expense of full-time salaries and benefits.

Predictable
On hiring a third party IT support service provider, you have your advanced monthly expenses fixed and there are no more unplanned repair bills. You only pay for smoothly functioning system and not for labor inputs, such as time spent and repairs.

Flexible
Managed IT support services relieve business owners from the stress of staffing, power and space constraints. In addition, support services also include handling evolving complexities of technology offering flexibility to the business.

Available Round the clock
Managed It support services include 24/7 monitoring of your systems, watching for updates and fix problems remotely, often before even the problem actually arises. This enable businesses to have a reliable infrastructure.

Conclusion
Many businesses are already leveraging the mentioned benefits of managed IT support services. If you are still relying on ad hoc computer mechanics, it is about time you make a smart decision and hire managed IT support service provider. If you are looking for a reliable tech support in Fort Worth, make sure that you partner with a trustworthy name in the service.

3 Data Recovery Software that Computer Experts Recommend

In the current scenario, when technology is covering almost every aspect our life, ‘digital’ and ‘data’ are two words that you hear all the time. In fact, all data from the word files on your pc to those vital presentations and excel sheets in your office computer are digital. While there are several advantages of data in its digitalized form, the biggest fear is its susceptibility to attack, and the possibility to lose it forever. While a data recovery service center may be the only option when you don’t know the science of data recovery, there are tools that help you regain your lost data. We highlight 3 top-notch ones through this article. 

Recuva

Dedicated to Windows OS, Recuva recovers ‘permanently’ deleted files marked as free space by the operating system. It comes in a 3MB zip file, works well with both NTFS and FAT format drives and requires no installation, thereby allowing easy sharing and set up than those who require installation. Developed by Piriform, you may use the tool helps you recover deleted files from USB drives, MP3 players, and memory cards as well.

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery

This tool comes with a feature that allows cloning important drives you want to backup. Its algorithms allow you to recover data from DVDs and CDs, computer drives, and even email messages from Outlook Express and MS Outlook. What’s more, the utility tool supports partition recovery from Windows Vista, 8, 8.1, besides a range of multimedia files.

Panda Recovery

Panda Recovery supports the recovery of various types of deleted files--songs, pictures, movies or documents--that exist on your NTFS and FAT-formatted hard drives. The software builds an index of deleted and existing files and directories (folders) on the logical hard drive of your computer with supported file format after scanning it. Providing comprehensive features, it gives you complete control over the files you want to recover, including the destination where you recovery to take place. Besides this, Panda Recovery also allows preview of deleted files of certain type before beginning the recovery process.

Conclusion

No matter the type, sensitive data might be at stake for permanent loss, if your data recovery methods are not working and you don’t know what steps to take. When this happens, better consult a computer repair professional, no matter you live in Grapevine, Arizona or any other part of US. In fact, good data recovery services are available everywhere. All you need is the right search.

5 Affordable Ways to Keep Data Safe

Hand written copies have long gone back, and unless you have access to a time machine it is not easy to find the ones that you’ve buried in history. Consequently, their benefits have vanished too. The reason, we dwell in an era where every word has become digital. The problem with digital content is that when hard drives, storing your word files, crash, you may lose your hard worked data forever, unless you have the right tools for data recovery. How to avoid such possibilities? Here’s the way forward, as we show you 5 affordable tips to prevent data loss.

Store Files, but not in the Operating System’s Drive

Remember your operating system--windows, mac or linux. Now remember its location and the location of your word files. The point is to never store them in the same area, as your operating system is easily susceptible to virus attacks, software failures and other computer problems. If your operating system fails due to such issues, you might have to either reinstall it or reformat the drive to rectify the problems. The result, you lose all your vital data on the drive.

Maintain Sound Backup in Place

Backing up your stuff is really important even when you have stored your files at a location different from the operating system. Use either free cloud apps like google drive, dropbox or clonezilla or spend in a paid software if you have huge chunks of vital data that needs storage. Using cd’s, other hard drives, and floppy disks for data backup is also an option, but remember these devices are susceptible to scratches, and breaks. Consequently, creating a second backup may help you beat the odds when the first backup fails.

At the same time, when all data recovery methods fail, consult a professional. If you have a Mac computer, always look for a Mac desktop support professional in your area--Southlake, Florida or Nevada, or wherever you live.

Mind Your Email Attachments

Receiving hundreds of emails on a daily basis is not a new thing, as are the accompanying virus that corrupt your data. Opening unknown email attachments in the absence of a robust anti-virus software that provides protection from email malware is never wise. Possibilities of data loss exist even when you receive an email attachment with the same file name that you already have on your computer, and your email software settings saves new files in the same location.

Use Safe Guarding Features

Many a time, it is the error on the end of the user that results in data loss. When using word documents, therefore, take advantage of its version and tracking-changes features that help you prevent data loss. This comes in handy when you accidentally delete portions of your data and save your file while editing a document. If you’ve enabled features that re-store the changes, you are able to access the data that is currently not visible in your document.

Maintain Hard Copies of Vital Documents

Though you may not feel like keeping hard copies of all your documents, it is one of the sure shot ways to backup pieces of data you’ve hard worked and are of paramount importance to you and your business. Maintaining hard copies though is not as feasible as editing a digital word document, it, at least, guarantees that you have access to your data when you need it.

Conclusion

Despite all such practices, there are chances you may face a situation when you have lost your vital data. The reason is that all machines, including hard drives have an expiry date, and they wear down over time. To ensure that you recover your data entirely and without much pain, it is wise to consult an IT consulting support firm, or a professional computer repair service, no matter you live in Southlake or Florida. Professionals have the right tools and understand that data recovery is a complex that requires precision and practice.