Whenever a person asks me to work on their computer, I try to find out what happened. When they have a virus, I find that most of the time the person clicked on a pop up for an ad. The reason I decided to make this post was to hopefully help users protect themselves and avoid getting a virus.

My post on virus software talks about programs you can use to help prevent viruses, but unfortunately that’s not 100% secure. So it will take some work on your part.

As your navigating around the Internet or through your email, it’s natural to feel fairly secure. But I’m here to tell you, if you’re connected to the Internet you’re not secure. Facebook is a popular website right now and most everyone feels like anything they see on their wall, or from a friend, is safe. Unfortunately, even if something is posted by your closest friends, it could still be infected. If you receive a message from a friend, it could be infected. This is possible if your friends got hacked and their friend list was used to pass the virus around. So be wary about what you click on in facebook.

This is also possible in your email whether it’s a program on your computer or a web based email. If you receive something from a friend that you would believe to be ok, just be wary that it might not be.

And of course, anything you get on facebook, or in email, or anywhere else from someone you don’t recognize, be very wary of. Clicking on links, opening images or executing files is the biggest cause of people getting viruses. Be aware there are other ways for these people to pass on viruses too, but usually it requires the end user (You) to activate something with a mouse click or keyboard stroke.

I’m not trying to scare you into not wanting to be on the Internet. I just want to make your experience more enjoyable and decrease your chances of infection, data loss and possible identity theft.

One of the biggest things now days is a window that pops up on your screen warning of threats. It looks like a legitimate program that can fix your “problems” for a nominal fee. But this program isn’t legitimate. It’s actually a scam to get your credit card, and other, personal information. Not to mention you waste money on a “program” that does nothing for your system. And good luck getting the money back, unless your bank works with you.

If you happen to see a “program” pop up that can clean your system, the first thing you should do is figure out if this is an actual program you have installed on your computer. If it’s not then disconnect all access from the Internet, shut down any windows by clicking the red X in the top right corner of the window and try to run all the scans I list on this site to clean up your computer.

The best way to be safe is to be wary of where you surf and what you open on your computer. Anti virus and anti malware software will usually prevent viruses from getting into your computer but they can’t do it alone. It requires your awareness too.

Did your computer crash? Does your computer not start? Do you see the blue screen of death(BSOD)? Well these problems can, unfortunately, be attributed to many different things like hardware problems or viruses. Here I’ll talk about ways to recover from a computer crash.

Of course, the first thing you need to figure out is if you still have power. I know this seems trivial, but computer parts do stop working. Even on the very expensive computers that you would think would last for years. So, if you have lights, flashing or not, and/or you hear fan noises, then you have power in your computer. Don’t forget to make sure your screen has power too. If you have power and you can see something displayed on your screen then you have a good starting point to troubleshoot a crashed computer.

If your Operating System won’t come up so you can see your normal desktop displayed, then you’ll have to try a couple of things to get that back up. One thing you can try is, shut down your computer and let it sit for a few seconds. Then restart your computer and as soon as you hit the power button and it starts to come alive, press and hold F8. You may get some beeps from holding F8, that’s alright though, you can let go of the F8 key when that happens. Your computer should bring up a list of choices at this point. One of those choices will be “Safe Mode”. Go ahead and select that and see if your computer will boot to Safe Mode. If it does then you’re doing pretty good. All you’ll have to do now is run a virus scan, a malware scan, a registry cleanup and maybe even remove an infectious program from your computer. You can find information on all this on my Virus page or my Disk Clean Up page.

Another issue you might have is the BSOD. If you receive a blue screen with a bunch of technical looking information on it, then you’ve gotten the BSOD. This can potentially be a fatal problem, but there are ways to find out how bad it is. Primarily, this is caused by defective hardware or hardware drivers. If it’s defective hardware, then of course it would have to be replaced. If it’s a defective hardware driver, then an uninstall and reinstall of the driver might fix your problem. Although a virus on your computer could also cause a driver to go bad and reinstalling it would only fix it for a little while if you don’t find and remove the virus.

So to start this troubleshooting task, do like you did above to try to boot your system into Safe Mode. If you’re able to access Safe Mode, then you can look around for viruses and malware again and try to remove them. Then you’ll want to go to the device driver screen and check all your devices to see if they’re working properly. If the devices show to be working properly then there’s a lot more in depth research you can do to troubleshoot hardware issues. For example, if you look at individual hardware properties you can disable hardware acceleration to see if that resolves your problem. You can also look at Task Manager to see if your memory and hard disk are working properly. There are many different things that can be wrong and can be checked to resolve hardware issues caused by drivers. Too many to list and explain here. If you have a specific problem, please feel free to contact me. I will do my best to help you.

Another way to boot your computer is with the included Operating System CD ROM. If you place this CD ROM in your CD drive and boot to that device you could essentially get to your Desktop or to a selection screen to do a repair of your computer Operating System. You could also get to the selection to run a recovery and reset your computer to a previous known good configuration. These options are also available through the F8 method listed above. If you get to that screen and use these selections, then your computer will restore or repair from a separate partition on your drive. This may be your only option if you weren’t provided a CD ROM when you bought your computer, which is the case most of the time. Either way you should be able to at least restore or repair your computer to a workable configuration. And of course it’s wise to update and run your virus software, malware software and registry cleaner to insure there are no more potential problems.

If your computer doesn’t have any power at all, then it’s safe to assume your trouble is either a bad power supply or a bad mother board. Which ever is bad can be replaced and this should restore power to your system and you should be back in business. Although, replacing hardware can be a pricey task if done wrong or taken to a shop since you’ll have to pay labor charges. Either one isn’t really that hard to replace, all you have to do is get inside the case and pull out the old one then replace it with a new matching model. The mother board can be a little more tricky since you have to remember where everything plugs into when you put it back together.

Ok, so hopefully this information is helpful in restoring your system to it’s previous state. If you have any questions or need any help please feel free to contact me.

I thought y’all might enjoy something interesting that can come from Computer Problems.

Nowadays when you buy a computer it’s normally pre-installed with an Operating System and some software for you to use. Some of the licenses are included but sometimes you only get a trial of the software. Either way, to some extent you pay for the Operating Systems and Software you use on your computer. At this point most everyone has a computer in their house that uses one or more of these licensed programs.

Well, in the time I’ve been working on computers I’ve done a lot of research on “Free” or “Open Source” Software. “Open Source” is software that written by programmers and supplied to the public for free. It’s nice if you donate to their cause though since it takes a lot to make a program useable on any computer. Even still it’s much cheaper than what most programs cost.

I’m not the type of person that believes in making someone else rich, especially since it’s considered the norm or because it’s provided with what you buy. As I said earlier, most people already have a computer in their house so it is very possible for anyone to make their computer run and do what they need without having to buy any software, or even new hardware. That’s the reason for this article, is to inform you about programs that you can use free of charge on your existing Operating System or even install a new Operating System.

So go through the list below and check out the ones you might be interested in. If you have any suggestions or questions about software on this list or to add to this list please feel free to contact me.

Operating Systems

Ubuntu: This is a Linux based Operating System that will run your computer better than other operating systems, even older computers. Other Linux based Operating Systems are available also, but I use this Ubuntu. It comes complete with everything you need to run your computer. Plus it’s loaded with even more free software that you can pick and choose from.

One of the many things I like about Ubuntu is it’s much more secure than Windows and Mac OS. You don’t even have to have any virus or malware protection on Ubuntu.

Another thing you should know about Ubuntu is, if you’re skeptical about changing operating systems, you can download and create a CD that has Ubuntu on it. This is called a “Live CD” and your computer can be run from this CD as if it was installed on your hard drive. This gives you an opportunity to try Ubuntu out before making any permanent changes to your system.

Virus Software – Note: Only use one (1) antivirus program on your computer. Multiple programs will conflict and give false errors.

On a Windows based computer you definitely need a virus program. I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials since it’s a Microsoft product and it works very well with any version of the Windows operating system. Microsoft Security Essentials does a great job at keeping your computer protected from unwanted intrusions.

My next Suggestion would be avast! or AVG. They’re both excellent programs and do a great job at protecting your computer. avast also provides for a boot time scan which can be very effective at removing viruses from your system.

Malwarebytes is a good program to use to keep your system clean also. Malware isn’t really a virus but it will make your computer run like there is a virus. That’s why I listed it under Virus Software. By the way, I don’t recommend SpyBot or Adaware. They’re not bad programs, I just like the functionality of Malwarebytes better.

To clean your registry, I recommend CCleaner. This program includes some things that Windows does itself real well, but the Registry Cleaner is very easy to use, powerful and safe. It backs up your registry before it cleans it up so if you have any problems you can restore to the point before you cleaned it up.

Office Programs

Microsoft Office is pretty much the standard for computer users now days and it’s a good program. But for a free program that is completely useful and compatible with any Operating System or Office program, I recommend using Go Open Office. This program will open any office file, presentation, pdf file and many other files. It is also capable of saving your files in formats that other users can open and access in their licensed office programs. This is the best and most versatile program you can get for your computer, whatever your Operating System may be.

Email

When it comes to email, I recommend web based email. The reason is, if your computer crashes you won’t lose all of your email and everything you’ve saved in your email folders. If you have a subscription to an internet provider you should probably be provided with an email address that is accessible via the internet. Or if you have a web page you’ll probably be provided an email address through the host which should be accessible through the internet. Other options you have are places like Yahoo, Google or MSN. All of these are free and accessible through the internet which is very easy to use and very helpful in the computer world. Another thing about web based email is being able to access it from any computer, so you can check your email from anywhere you may be.

Update to web based email: With most smart phones, you can even access your web based email from your device nowadays.

Browsers

If you surf the internet, which most people do now days, you’ll use a browser. I recommend Mozilla Firefox since it’s more secure than most others. It will help in your effort to prevent viruses and Malware from infecting your system. If you’re still using Windows operating system, you will need to keep Internet Explorer since it’s required by Microsoft for some functions through their site.

Image Editors

If you take pictures and like to edit them on your computer, I recommend two different programs.

Photo Filtre is a Windows only program but it does a very good job and has lots of tools to use and make your photos cool.

The next one I recommend is Gimp Shop. This is the best replacement for Adobe Photoshop there is. It takes some getting used to but it’s a very good program for editing your photos.

So, like I stated above, check out some of these programs and see about getting your system running with “free” or “Open Source” software. It will also be more secure and efficient with a lot of this software. Again, if you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact me.

Hello folks, I wanted to take a few minutes and talk to you about all the third party software that comes with new hardware or devices that individuals will install in their computer. Everyone’s seen it, you buy a camera or printer or something that plugs into the computer; even cell phones now days can be hooked to your computer in one way or another. With all these devices comes a CD or DVD with third party software on it. Instinctively, users install this software on their system.

Don’t get me wrong, installing this software is not a bad thing but it could slow down your system or cause troubles. The three operating systems I talk about on this site are actually very good at handling any third party hardware you may attach to your computer. Most devices will run just fine without installing their proprietary software. Also, not installing this software doesn’t clutter up your system.

If you attach a digital camera to your system, you can get your pictures off the camera without any proprietary software. If you want to sync your phone, you might be able to do it without the phone manufacturers software. Just about any hardware you attach to your system will run just fine without it’s proprietary software.

Understand that there are useful third party programs out there and sometimes you will have to install proprietary software. The only thing I’m talking about here is, the more stuff you put on your system the slower it will be and the more susceptible to problems it will be. So as time goes on, after you install your operating system or the first time you turn your computer on, please be cautious of what you’re putting on your computer to help it run better and keep your Hard Disk Clean.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let me know about it.

April 2011 update: I’ll be moving to an Android based phone since it’s functionality seems to be more fitting for what I want from my phone. Not to mention, it’s an open source OS and open source apps.

December 2010 update: Just to let you know, I still enjoy my iPhone. But Apple has decided they want us to spend more money to keep it updated. I’ve got an older OS for my MacBook and because of that I can’t get the latest updates for my iPhone. The reason for this is I have to get a newer version of the OS so I can run the newer version of iTunes which is required to get the newer updates for my iPhone. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me, but that’s just my opinion.

Of course if you’re on a Windows system, even XP, then you should be fine. But for someone like me, I would have to transfer everything back to Windows and start using a Windows system to keep my iPhone updated. like I said before, it’s kind of ridiculous in my opinion.

I’d like to take a moment and give you some information on some products I’m using. I’ve been working on computers for 15+ years and I’ve loved every bit of it. I started on DOS and I’ve been using Windows for as long as I can remember. Well a couple of years ago I needed a new laptop so I decided I was going to try out an apple product, so I bought me a MacBook. And just recently I was given an iPhone, and that’s what this review is about.

I’ve loved my MacBook since I got it, and when I got the iPhone it was just easy for me to pick up. The iPhone is so easy to use and it syncs so well with the MacBook. The things you can do on the iPhone are great. There’s an endless amount of uses for the iPhone. The maps utility is so much better than any map program I’ve used on any other phone, including at&t navigator. I use web based email, and the email program on the iPhone works so well with these providers. The phone itself is so easy to use and works great. I will say the speaker phone is kind of weak outside of a completely silent room, but other than that the sound quality is great on the included headphones or with the built in speaker and microphone. And if you text, this phone is it. Even for someone like me with fat fingers. When you turn the phone on it’s side to type, the QWERTY keyboard is so easy to use. Not to mention, now you can get images and sounds on text. From what I understand that wasn’t possible on the iPhone before.

So anyway, that’s my preliminary review of the iPhone. If you have any questions about it before you go spend the money on it, please feel free to contact me.

Hello everyone,

Today I want to talk about protecting your computer from viruses and malware. There are many programs out there that will help protect your computer from malicious viruses and software but I have a few that I use regularly and recommend to everyone.

The primary virus protection program I use when working on customers computers is Microsoft Security Essentials. This program, provided free of charge by Microsoft for the Windows operating system, is probably the best anti virus program that can be used on a Windows computer. It’s obviously very compatible with Windows and it’s very good at protecting Windows from unwanted intrusions.

Next,  I want to talk about is AVG Free Anit-Virus. Like it says, this program is totally free to individual users and it’s a good strong program for protecting your computer. It also has many other options, like protecting you when you surf the internet and preventing malware from accessing your computer.

The installation for this program is very easy and straight forward, just make sure you select the free option and not the 30 day trial of the paid version when you’re installing AVG. You should also run the update and the optimization scan while installing so AVG will run at peek performance on your computer.

Another good program I’d like to tell you about is avast Free Antivirus. Again, another free program that works really well at protecting your computer. This one, I believe, is a little more defensive against malware, but both AVG and avast are pretty well equal in my eyes.

The installation for avast is easy also but it works just a little different. When you get to the end of the installation, you’ll be asked if you’d like to run a boot time scan. It is a good idea to go ahead and run this scan during the install. The difference here is avast will reboot your system to start the scan. While this scan is running it will appear that you’ve reached the blue screen of death (BSOD), and then it will appear as Windows is running a disk scan. Don’t be alarmed, this is avast running the boot time scan on your system. It’s actually a more effective method to be able to scan files before they are actually being used by your computer since any file that’s infected isn’t being controlled by the virus itself.

One more program I’ll tell you about here today is Malwarebytes. This program is a thoroughly effective program for finding and removing malware on your computer. Malware can be just as intrusive and invasive as viruses and it will slow your computer down excessively.

This program doesn’t run constantly in the background like virus programs do, but if you add this to your computer and run the scan regularly it will be very effective at helping your virus program protect your computer. The install is as easy as any other program and when it’s complete you have the option to update it and run a full scan. I recommend you go ahead and do all this while you’re installing it anyway.

And the last program is CCleaner. CCleaner is also a free program that is used for computer optimization. It does several things to clean up and protect your privacy, but the tool I want to tell you about here is the registry cleaner. Through time, after installing and deleting programs and regular use, your registry can get very cluttered. The registry is the base for Windows to run properly. If it’s cluttered or infected it will destroy your computers performance, and could eventually fail causing your computer to fail completely.

After you install this program, you’ll want to run the registry cleaner tool. I will advise you that this can be very dangerous to your system if something gets removed that shouldn’t be. CCleaner will back up your registry for you so you can go back to the previous version if the clean up doesn’t work. So while using this program, please be careful and make sure you’re not destroying your computer worse. Don’t let this scare you from using it though, it is a good program and generally won’t fail you.

So to sum up, add some of these programs to your system to help prevent future issues and even speed up your computers performance.

The first thing you want to do to clean up your hard disk is remove any programs you don’t want or need anymore. Excessive programs take up file space and when they’re running they slow down your computer. Most manufacturers will add programs to their software when they sell you a computer and if you don’t use them there’s no need to have them on your computer. You can remove those and any other programs you don’t want anymore pretty easily with the Add/Remove Programs tool that Windows provides.

Access your control panel by clicking on the Start button to bring up that menu. Once you’re in the control panel you should be able to find the Add/Remove Programs Icon. Clicking on this will bring up another window that will update with all the programs installed on your computer. Go through this list and highlight anything you want removed one at a time. When you highlight a program you will have a button that should say ‘remove’. If you click on that button Windows will remove that program for you.

Be careful here because your list will have some programs that are required to run your computer, whether it be for hardware of another program. Don’t remove anything that your not completely sure of until you research it and find out exactly what it’s for. If you don’t need it, get it off your hard drive. Removing unnecessary programs can free up some space on your hard drive and it will also stop any of those programs from running that you’re not using anyway.

Unfortunately, this tool doesn’t completely remove all remnants of a program from your hard drive, but I will show you later on how to get rid of those parts. When you’re done removing programs, move on to the next section in Disk Clean Up to continue on with this process.