Wondering what specs you’ll need in a new computer?  I found an excellent blog post by a computer repair shop owner in San Diego on just that. Here is the link. It is more like an article than a post.

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Computer Virus Removal

I’m often asked what free anti-virus I recommend.

Unfortunately no one anti-virus can remove all viruses. In our Calgary computer repair shop we use many different ones and each finds different infections. Some that we use are AVG, Avira, Avast, Kaspersky, Dr. Web Cure-it, E-set online and off, among others. If we relied on only one, we wouldn’t be able to do an adequate job of fixing computers. So it rankles when an anti-virus company wants to be the only one used by people. It’s not realistic and would mean that a lot more computers would have to be reformatted to get cleaned.

If you’re asking which one I think you should keep resident on your computer, I like both Avira and AVG best. Both are really good at catching viruses. Google (search on Google for) either one and find the result that includes “download.cnet.com” in its address. I recommend both Avira and AVG. Of course, I don’t mean both at once. I mean choose one of the two.

I used to prefer AVG over Avira until AVG stopped working with Combofix of Bleeping Computers. I loved AVG and put it on every computer in close proximity. I liked AVG better because of its easier user interface. Being “easier” meant more effective, because people were able to use it more effectively. Now I prefer Avira since you don’t have to uninstall it to run Combofix, which is, unfortunately, the only solution sometimes to an infected computer.

By the way, whoever the creator of Combofix is, whoever sUBS is, he ought to receive knighthood or hero-hood for the amount of computers he saves on a daily or even an hourly basis, and for which he does not even receive payment. He really makes a huge difference in people’s lives without much recognition or money. I respect him enormously and hope he lives a long time because we will be all be sunk without him.

Only people who are experienced techs should use Combofix, however. Very, very occasionally it will cause a computer to stop booting and if this happens and you don’t know how to undo the changes it makes, you may have to reinstall Windows.

Both AVG and Avira ought to take note, their new default of having scheduled scans disabled upon install is dangerous. Many people think they are protected when they are not. If you have Avira or AVG make sure they’re scanning on a daily basis.

If you have a virus and live in Calgary, come to our Virus Removal Lab and will be able to help you out without losing your data or programs or even changing your computer except to speed it up. We would love to see you.

PS. We enjoy all kinds of people and computers and viruses…and aren’t judgmental.

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You’ll need:
1. A really, really soft cloth, think baby’s bum.
2. A small spray bottle
3. Isopropyl alcohol

It’s very easy. Just mix the alcohol with water in a 50% solution. Turn off the monitor and unplug it from the power source. Spray your water/alcohol on the cloth and wipe the monitor. Don’t use a dirty or coarse cloth as this might scratch the fine surface of the lcd monitor. Don’t spray the screen directly.

Now you’re looking good. And so is your monitor!

A Clean Monitor is a Happy Monitor

I used to buy this really expensive stuff ($7.00 a bottle) until I read the label..for the ingredients see above.

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Last night a business owner had a severe problem with his laptop. So I made a quick after hours stop at his business. He’d lost all of his icons from his desktop and the computer was unresponsive. The problem turned out to be that he hadn’t turned off his laptop for several weeks. Once it was turned off and on again, it was back to normal.

Microsoft has designed Windows to be turned off occasionally. This lets the computer reset its operating system. If you allow it to stay on or in standby too long, it will get more and more sluggish and eventually stop working correctly. Rebooting can work wonders.

If you have any computer problems, give me a shout at Calgary Computer Repair.

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Laptop going through airport security

12,000 laptops are lost in U.S. airports every week most at airport security, according to a report published Monday.

A study published by the Ponemon Institute and Dell Computer, reports 12,000 laptops are lost in airports each week. The study surveyed 800 business travelers and 106 major U.S. airports for their findings. 70 percent of travelers never recover their computers. Almost half of the business travelers report their laptops contain customer or sensitive information or confidential business data. Forty-two percent travelers reported they don’t backup their files. Most left their laptops at the airport security.

If you travel with your laptop, leave your business card in an transparent, plastic enclosure or a prominent pocket of the case and another taped to the keyboard. If you don’t have a business card then write a note with your name, address, and phone number. Make sure your cellphone number is included. Then, if you walk away without your laptop, airport security staff can call your cellphone before you board. Also, keep the amount of carry-ons to a minimum, so you’ll notice if walking away light or empty-handed.

Before you leave, backup your files. Some people like to encrypt their files. I’m a little leery of encryption because if your hard drive or computer has problems or needs to be repaired, encryption makes it difficult for techs to transfer or backup your data to another computer or hard drive. However, if your data is especially sensitive you should encrypt. Most thieves or other computer users aren’t going to see any value in your company data or be sophisticated enough to use it to malicious purposes, but it could happen.

Also as you leave airport security, do a mental check and make sure you have all your belongings, tickets, purse, passport, jewelry, change, keys, laptops, carry-ons.

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