Do you have questions about computer networking? Do you have computer system problems that you haven't gotten fixed. Send us an email at sales@bidenpc.com. We will answer your computer questions in our blog just a few days.
Happy Computing,
Tim
Happy Computing,
Tim
Labels: Computer Networks, Computer Repair, Computer Upgrades, Desktop Support, Free, General PC Advice, Hardware, How To, Tech Talk
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According to C-Net's senior editor Matt Elliott, the expected life of a computer is 3-5 years. I believe that desktop computers last about 5 years before they are too old and laptops last about 3 years. That typically isn't due to faulty parts as much as it is to computers getting old and software remaining new and always getting more sophisticated.
Because software continues getting more sophisticated, a straight computer repair isn't always the best solution to the problem. Often a small upgrade can extend the life of a computer and make it well worth the price of the upgrade.
Consider for a moment that you have a computer that has a faulty stick on RAM on a computer that runs Windows XP. Now consider that you want to upgrade to Windows Vista. If you only have 256 MB of RAM, you can't run Microsoft Windows Vista. It just won't work. But, if you replace that faulty 256 MB of RAM with 2 GB of RAM, your old PC will probably be able to run Windows Vista. before deciding onWindows Vista, I would recommend checking Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This tool will tell you whether you are ready or not.
Always remember, a small upgrade now can often save a lot of money down the road.
Happy computing,
Tim
Because software continues getting more sophisticated, a straight computer repair isn't always the best solution to the problem. Often a small upgrade can extend the life of a computer and make it well worth the price of the upgrade.
Consider for a moment that you have a computer that has a faulty stick on RAM on a computer that runs Windows XP. Now consider that you want to upgrade to Windows Vista. If you only have 256 MB of RAM, you can't run Microsoft Windows Vista. It just won't work. But, if you replace that faulty 256 MB of RAM with 2 GB of RAM, your old PC will probably be able to run Windows Vista. before deciding onWindows Vista, I would recommend checking Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. This tool will tell you whether you are ready or not.
Always remember, a small upgrade now can often save a lot of money down the road.
Happy computing,
Tim
Labels: Computer Repair, Computer Upgrades, General PC Advice, Hardware, Services Offered, Tech Talk
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This weekend, my wife had just plugged in the iron in order to iron some clothes when there was a small click that came from the iron and the indicator light went off. She thought that it was odd but left it plugged in for an extra few second. Not only did the indicator light go off, but the entire iron started to cool.
Even under moderate to high usage an iron should last more than 4 years. This one was used approximately once a month and in less than 4 years it gave up the ghost.
Admittedly I know nothing about irons, not even how to correctly use one. But, being a computer repair professional, I know a bit about using high quality computer parts. There are hardware companies whose parts I refuse to use because I don't want to have to replace the part twice. Once I repair a PC, I want it to stay in good working order. From motherboards and hard drives to fans and power supplies, I use only high quality parts because you, the customer, want to have a computer that works for years, not a computer that works for months.
According to C-Net's senior editor Matt Elliott (and I agree with him), the expected life of a computer is 3-5 years. The high quality part will be far more likely through last the expected years of your computer.
Happy computing,
Tim
Even under moderate to high usage an iron should last more than 4 years. This one was used approximately once a month and in less than 4 years it gave up the ghost.
Admittedly I know nothing about irons, not even how to correctly use one. But, being a computer repair professional, I know a bit about using high quality computer parts. There are hardware companies whose parts I refuse to use because I don't want to have to replace the part twice. Once I repair a PC, I want it to stay in good working order. From motherboards and hard drives to fans and power supplies, I use only high quality parts because you, the customer, want to have a computer that works for years, not a computer that works for months.
According to C-Net's senior editor Matt Elliott (and I agree with him), the expected life of a computer is 3-5 years. The high quality part will be far more likely through last the expected years of your computer.
Happy computing,
Tim
Labels: Computer Repair, General PC Advice, Hardware, Services Offered
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Yesterday my wife needed to create and edit some videos for her class (she's an art teacher) on how to work with water-color paints. We have a Sony DCR-DVD 105 camcorder that records to the mini DVDs. It doesn't have a Firewire or USB connection on it so this presents a bit of a problem... How do you get the video onto your computer? Here's what I do.
First you'll need a bit of inexpensive software (sorry, not free this time) called AVS Video Converter. It is only $39.95 right now and it does a great job of converting the DVD files to almost any video format you would like. I usually choose .wmv, but the choice is up to you.
So here are the steps to converting the DVD video to any format you would like so you can edit your videos.
Happy video editing,
Tim
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First you'll need a bit of inexpensive software (sorry, not free this time) called AVS Video Converter. It is only $39.95 right now and it does a great job of converting the DVD files to almost any video format you would like. I usually choose .wmv, but the choice is up to you.
So here are the steps to converting the DVD video to any format you would like so you can edit your videos.
- When you're finished recording video, finalize the DVD.
- After it is finalized, put the DVD into your computer's DVD drive.
- go to "My Computer" and Right-Click on the DVD drive.
- Choose "Explore".
- A new window will be opened and you will see some files.
- Copy the files that end in ".vob" to your desktop because AVS Video Converter can't read directly from the DVD.
- Start AVS Video Converter and choose the file format that you want to convert the DVD files to.
- Click "Browse" to choose your .vob file.
- Look under "Output File name" and you will see "... Profile" click on the box there to choose your exact output method within your video type.
- Now you are almost finished. click on "Convert Now" and it will start it's magic. Obviously the software will take longer to convert larger files but it will do it.
Happy video editing,
Tim
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Labels: Entertainment, General PC Advice, Hardware, How To, software, Tech Talk
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As I have had 2 clients in the week that have Hard Drive Problems, I would like to talk a bit about what these problems are and how to recover data when they occur.
First, hard drive problems are typically bad spots on the internal platters (think of CDs inside a metal box with metal arms that run across them reading data) that can no longer be read from or written to. These spots are called sectors and when a sector cannot be accessed, your Operating System (probably Windows) ignores it and writes data around it instead of in it.
There are 2 different types of problems that cause bad sectors. We'll start with the type that is the most common and least problematic.
Software errors are exactly what they sound like, problems with the data on the drive. A software error can be caused by a small number of things. This includes:
Hardware errors also have a number of causes that we'll discuss a few of those here.
May all of your hard drives have long lives,
Tim
First, hard drive problems are typically bad spots on the internal platters (think of CDs inside a metal box with metal arms that run across them reading data) that can no longer be read from or written to. These spots are called sectors and when a sector cannot be accessed, your Operating System (probably Windows) ignores it and writes data around it instead of in it.
There are 2 different types of problems that cause bad sectors. We'll start with the type that is the most common and least problematic.
Software errors are exactly what they sound like, problems with the data on the drive. A software error can be caused by a small number of things. This includes:
- a write-head not writing in the exact space that a sector is located in, therefore causing 2 sector errors.
- a piece of data being written and the master record (for the drive) not being updated or incorrectly updated.
- loss of power while writing data.
- Chkdsk - No that is not a typo. Chkdsk is short for CheckDisk and is a Windows native application that performs a scan of your hard drive and maps out bad sectors. This allows your drive to continue performing and reduces the probability of more sector problems. Click here to see how to run Chkdsk in Windows.
- If data has been lost, there are many free programs that can be used to recover them with decent reliability. Many can be found on the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows. If you don't feel comfortable creating a boot cd, then check out Recuva. I have recently used to to recover many files from a client's PC.
- As well as data recovery, the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows can also perform hard drive scans and fix many errors. If you need a copy, please contact me via my business website.
- After recovering your data, I recommend backing up your data and completely formatting (Not a quick format) your hard drive. This will cause the system to ignore the problematic areas and rewrite the data elsewhere. Now, we hope, those hard drive issues should be gone.
Hardware errors also have a number of causes that we'll discuss a few of those here.
- There can be dust or metal flakes (caused by the movement of the internal parts) inside the hard drive that get onto a platter. This can cause a small magnetic blackout of a sector. If it moves along with the head it can cause small scratches like on a CD. Also, like a CD, the data can usually be read using different methods (Please don't use toothpaste inside your hard drive.).
- Dropping Computer or Laptop - If you drop your computer, in many cases it will be safe from harm but there is the chance that the read head (which is kind of like the needle and arm on a record player) can scratch the surface of the platter. These will require special Data Recovery facilities to retrieve the data.
- You've heard me say it before and you'll hear it again, the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows is a godsend and the same programs that can retrieve software error sectors can also retrieve hardware error sector. TestDisk and Disk Investigator (both on the UBCD4Win) recently saved my hide.
- SpinRite - Gibson Research Corporation makes a great piece of software that can fix the drive so you can retrieve data from damaged hard drives. I have used it quite successfully many times.
- If the above tools can't do it, I would recommend sending the drive to a data recovery specialist. There are many to be found. Simply google "data recovery" and you'll find plenty. As I've never had to use one, I really can't recommend one.
May all of your hard drives have long lives,
Tim
Labels: General PC Advice, Hardware, How To, My Thoughts
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