Dos-Boot Computer Services Blog

Windows 7 is big news.  We’re getting lots of questions about it and people want to know if they should upgrade.   I’m going to try to answer a few common questions in this blog post.

Q.   What do you think of Windows 7?

A.  It’s functional.   It works.   It’s stable.    I’m not somebody that ever complained about Vista, and I think that Windows 7 is largely over-hyped.   Having said that, it definitely has some nice changes to the interface and there are some pretty nice little features here and there that make it a complete product out of the box.   I did miss a few features from the old versions, though.   It took me a while to get used to not having a quick launch bar, and pinning items to the task bar instead.   Complaints were minor, and I barely remember them.

Q.  Will my computer run it?

A.  If your computer runs Vista, almost certainly.  If you’re running XP, maybe.  Anything older, no.   If you want to be sure, you should run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.  Click the link, follow the directions.

Q.  Should I upgrade?

A.  The first part of my answer to this is “Only if you want to.”   The second half is “If everything you use will run.”   If you’re using your computer for work or in an office, you really need to check with all of your software vendors or your IT guys to make sure you can upgrade.   I’ve already heard of a few applications that work in Vista that will not yet work in Windows 7.  If you have no problems with your computer, no complaints, and everything works the way you want…don’t upgrade yet.   If you don’t like Vista, and you know why you don’t like it, and Windows 7 fixes your problems….then definitely upgrade.

Q.  Can I upgrade from XP?  From Vista?

A.  You are able to upgrade from XP and Vista, with some rules.   Upgrading from any version of XP requires what Microsoft calls a “custom install”.   That basically means that you need to backup all of your data, start the install process, and let it erase your hard drive and replace XP.  Programs and data need to be reinstalled or copied from backups.
Vista is a bit trickier to explain.   32-bit can upgrade “in-place” to equal or higher editions of 32-bit Windows 7…and 64-bit can upgrade “in-place” to equal or higher editions of 64-bit Windows 7.    If you’re moving to a lower edition of Windows 7 than your running edition of Vista….you will need to do a “custom install” mentioned above.   So, forgetting 32-bit or 64-bit for my example, you CAN “in-place” upgrade from Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium.  You CAN NOT upgrade from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Home Premium.  If you’re confused, you’re not alone.   You can read a little more about upgrading here.

Q.  What problems have you had with Windows 7?

A.  I had trouble getting my sound to work on my Macbook, when I first installed.   The first couple of days using it, install programs seemed to take forever to open.   I have a bluetooth mouse that absolutely refuses to synch with a Windows 7 machine, even though it worked perfectly fine in Vista.   When I did an “in-place” upgrade to my Vista media center, several applications stopped working for no good reason.  While not a problem, exactly, the “in-place” upgrade on my media center took about four hours.
I can’t think of any problems I’ve had after the upgrades were completed.

Q.  Can I buy Windows 7 from you?   Will you install Windows 7 for me?

A.  Since we are not a retail shop, we don’t sell product without a workorder.  We are only selling copies of Windows 7 as part of a repair, if you’re having us install it on an existing computer, or if you’re having us build you a new system.   We will not sell the OS by itself and will instead refer you to Staples, Microcenter, Best Buy or the bigger stores that do retail.
If you have a copy and need us to install it, we can help.   As always, we’re happy to install any parts or software you provide.

Let me start by saying that I was never a fan of Microsoft’s Live OneCare,  their antivirus, firewall, internet security type software.  Some time ago, they pulled it from the market;  Maybe in part because it didn’t sell very well and  because it never really did its job very well, when compared to other products.   Microsoft has replaced OneCare with a free new security program called “Security Essentials”.

Security Essentials is designed to be a more light-weight, less invasive antivirus and anti-malware program.  It’s made with simplicity in mind;  You install it and forget it.  Unlike other free security software, it’ll never nag you to upgrade to a “full” version.
I’ve installed Security Essentials on my home PCs and it does deliver on being lightweight and almost completely non-invasive.  I don’t think that it’s been out long enough for anyone to really comment on how well it works, though some early reviews are saying that it “holds its own”.

If you need an antivirus software and would like to try Security Essentials, you can download it here:  http://www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/

A while ago I wrote about some of the fake antivirus pop-ups and rogue programs that cause many of the computer problems that we see.   This post is very closely related, but more generalized.   Social engineering is, in short, a means to get people to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do….such as install a virus onto their computer, or send banking information to a complete stranger.

One of the latest examples of social engineering that I’ve run across is an e-mail, falsely saying that your antivirus subscription has expired.   If you don’t know how to check, you may think nothing of the e-mail and follow the link.   Unfortunately, the end result is that you’ve just clicked a link to infect your computer.

Dear (insert email address here),

You are receiving this message to let you know that your antivirus is outdated.
We request that you execute a full system scan at your earliest convenience by clicking on this link.

< hXXp://nonce.IaV8QJP.fullhourinternet.com/scan/>

Non compliance may result in possible fraud on your credit cards, data loss, as well as spyware infection

Kind Regards,
Liz
Antivirus Customer Service #77

The more official the e-mail, or message, looks the more likely people are to believe it.   Often the scammers will use very official looking images.  Sometimes the message will try to look like an official message from a bank or credit card, antivirus software, or other online services.

Generally, social engineering as a whole is too broad a problem to give specific examples on how to avoid becoming a victim.    Some things to remember, though;    Almost every online service WILL NOT ask for your password through e-mail.    Unless you specifically request it, your bank or credit card company will not communicate through e-mail.   If you do have online accounts, and you’re suspicious, don’t follow the links in the e-mail;  Go to the website directly.

A very handy tool, to help prevent scam attempts, is WebOfTrust.  With this browser add-on, you will be warned if the website you’re viewing is potentially dangerous before visiting.   Combined it with Firefox’s already built in ability to check attack sites, and cautious surfing, you’re much less likely to find yourself a victim of a social engineering scam.

Nearly everyone’s heard of this one: when you plug your power adapter into your laptop, it only works if you have it in there “just right.”  So you wiggle it around, watching that power LED until you find the magic angle and make the connection.  And then hope it stays there. And it seems to be getting worse.

Guess what, it is getting worse.

In the vast majority of laptops, the power jack is a (relatively) cheap little part that’s only secured in place by a few solder joints on the motherboard. Just the act of plugging in your power adapter can weaken these joints and damage the pins on the jack, causing your connection problem. And to make matters worse, wiggling is damaging them even more. This happens all the time with laptops, and when you call your manufacturer (or even a lot of repair shops!) they’ll say “You need to replace your motherboard to fix that. By the way, that’s several hundred dollars.”

Don’t believe them.  With the right equipment in skilled hands, replacing a power jack is a standard, even routine, repair that is a fraction of the cost of replacing the motherboard. So if you call someone about your “wiggling problem” and without looking at it they tell you that you’ll need a new motherboard, call someone else!

There are a lot of places out there that can fix your broken computer. How do you know who to take it to?  Well, if you’re in the Columbus area, we’d like you to bring it to us!  But in any case, here are some important questions to ask before you check something in for repair:

How much is this going to cost?
This one’s a given, but the important follow up is “What is included in that price?“  Too many places lure you in with seemingly low prices or offers like “free diagnosis if you proceed with a repair” only to nickel and dime you afterwards.  Do they charge extra labor for certain repairs?  Is a data backup included?  Are there limits on the amount of data they will back up unless you pay extra? How about removing viruses or reinstalling Windows?  These are all services that come up all the time over the course of standard repairs and could have hidden fees attached to them.

How much experience do you have with my type of system? and Are you certified?
This is especially true if you have a Mac, because there are a lot of shops out there that don’t specialize in them.  This will also help you weed out the guys that you find on Craigslist that seem to be impossibly cheap but have very little experience (or accountability).

How long will it take?
Again, this one’s a given.  Things that can affect this are the length of time “to the bench,” which basically means the amount of time before they even start working on it, and whether or not they do the repairs in-shop.  If the shop is outsourcing your repair to someone else, this can increase the time it will take to get it back, not to mention the time it takes to correct any problems that require you to bring the system back in for a rework.

Besides these questions, you can also prepare yourself by doing your homework.  Research the cost of parts online and in the stores. Go into a larger retail store sometime and compare their computer parts prices to the Internet and you’ll see that you probably won’t get a good deal if you have their “geeks” replace a part for you.  Also, check up on the shop by seeing what others are saying about them. There are several places around the Web where people can leave reviews of a shop.  Check them out on Google, Yahoo Local, Yelp, Angie’s List, and anywhere else you can think of.  No matter what you may have heard about a company, the people who know best are the ones who have been their customers.

Happy hunting!

I think this is something that every computer tech will agree with;   People don’t back up data often enough.

With the amount of personal data being stored on our computers these days, combined with the extremely low cost of CDRs, DVDRs, USB flash drives, it should be a no-brainer to back-up important data.   There are countless times when we’ve backed up or recovered data for our customers, but a few specific times come to mind.   One such case was when an aspiring author lost nearly three years of work due to a corrupted file.  In a case of extreme luck, we were able to recover nearly all of the file, but the trouble could have been easily prevented.

Here are a couple of quick tips to consider when setting up your back-up.

Manual or automated?   For businesses, I always recommend an automated backup.  Your data changes on a daily basis, rebuilding even a day’s worth of work is a significant investment in time.   Personal files on a home computer may not change as much, so an automated backup may be over-kill.   Back-up manually, if it suits you.

What medium?   The biggest factor for most backups is space.  For an extremely easy means to backup, you can use a USB flash drive.  If you’re backing up manually, CDRs may work for you.  For larger jobs, specialized tape/cartridge backup devices exist and are fairly inexpensive.  If you choose to use an external hard drive for your backup, this next section especially applies.

Redundancy!  If your data is critical, irreplacable or even just of great value to you, back-up your backup!  If you have more than one copy of your data, you’re greatly reducing the chances that you’ll lose it.  Keep in mind, if you’re using an external hard drive, hard drives are one of the most common components to fail, so have another backup method if you can.

Laptops don’t like getting wet – liquid spills can be devastating to the components of a computer.  We see systems in our shop all the time that need replacement motherboards, RAM, and other components installed because someone’s glass of grape juice found its way to them.  Obviously you should be careful to keep liquids away from your system, but here are a few tips to remember in the event of a spill.

1) Immediately shut the system down and remove the battery and power adapter.  Liquid spills cause so much damage because they cause components to short out.  No power = less risk of a short.

2) Sop up any liquid that you can see from the keyboard and case.  Make sure to wipe down the LCD panel with a dry cloth to prevent anything from getting inside.  An LCD panel that’s gotten liquid inside between the layers of plastic is most likely going to need replacing.

3) Remove any USB cables, peripherals or modular drives that are plugged into the system to prevent them from becoming damaged and just generally get them out of the way.

4) If you wish to have a professional look at your computer, bring it in to a shop right away.  The sooner you bring it in, the greater the chance that a professional can get any liquid cleaned up from the inside and save you some serious cash in replacement parts.

5) If you don’t want to take it into a shop, at least let the system sit to dry for 24-48 hours before powering it back on.  This will minimize the chance of sending power through a wet circuit and shorting it out.  As a rule, however, any sugary drink like soda or sweetened coffee presents a lot bigger threat because of the sticky film that it leaves behind when it dries.  For these kinds of liquids, you should definitely let a professional try to clean it up for you.

6) If you notice any strange behavior when you power the system on, immediately power the system off and get it in for inspection and repair as soon as possible.

Spills aren’t pretty, but hopefully these steps can save you the time and money of replacing damaged parts.

Since the holidays are fast approaching, I thought that it’d be a good idea to give a few tips about what to do with an old computer after it’s been replaced.

My personal preference for old equipment is to pass it on to someone who will use it.  Your older computer may have outlived its usefulness to you, but if it still runs it probably functions fine as a word processor or an e-mail and internet terminal.  Non-profits, such as Freegeek accept working and non-working systems for various uses.

If your computer doesn’t work or is too old to donate, you probably still want to get rid of it, instead of keeping it in the garage forever.   There are several companies that will recycle your old electronics for free or a minimal charge.  If you’re in the Columbus, Ohio area, we’ll even help you recycle your computer.

Once you’ve decided what you’re doing with your old system, one final consideration is your data and privacy.  If you’re passing the system along to someone outside of the family, make sure to completely erase any private data.  This could include anything from internet cookies, quickbooks/money data, bills, documents.   The most secure way to ensure the data is safe is to erase the drive or remove the drive and keep it.

We’ve recently noticed a large spike in systems infected with fake antivirus programs.   These programs are extremely crafty and are designed to look like legitimate security warnings.  These programs go by many names (Antivirus XP, 2008, 2009, Vista Antivirus, MS Antivirus, Antivirus Master, Virus Heat, and may others)

Here are a few tips to help you avoid downloading the rogue software:

Tip one is the most important; Make sure your antivirus is up-to-date.  As with any virus or malware infection, it’s important to have a reliable antivirus installed and kept up to date.  Most antivirus programs will update daily, if not hourly.  Antivirus programs such as Kaspersky Antivirus, Eset NOD32, Avast Antivirus, or AVG Antivirus are top notch  programs, and will almost always warn of you of problem software.

Tip two: Never click on web page pop-ups warning of virus or spyware infection.  The fakes are often designed to mimic more commonly known software such as McAfee or Norton Antivirus, and often use Windows logos.

Tip three: Use an alternate browser, such as Firefox, and enable the built in pop-up blocker.  Several sites exploit security problems to automatically install malicious software.   Firefox is not exempt from security exploits, but it does a better job of keeping you safe through faster updates and offers various security addons.

Tip four:  Be cautious online.  If you download, be sure you know what you’re downloading.  If you use peer-to-peer services, many of the files are mislabeled and may include various different viruses even if they appear to be music or video files.