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Windows 7 Parental Controls does not filter the web

June 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

By itself anyway.

One of the best things Vista had, was the ability to control the access your children have to the computer and internet.

You can control what programs can be ran: You can set which installed programs can be ran under your child’s account.

You can set limits on games:  You can separately control what games your kids can play. By rating or just in general.

You can control when your kids can use the computer: Using Time Limits, Windows allows you to set what hours of the day your child(ren) can use the computer.

You could also use the built in web filtering to control what websites your child can see. Each of these features was also included in Windows 7 EXCEPT the built in content filter.

Now you must install a separate piece of software.

Booooooo-Hiss-Hiss

It is however, better this way. It is also much more robust and will actually SAVE you time.

Web filtering is now accomplished with a component from the Windows Live package. The service hooks into parental controls in Windows 7 enabling you to monitor what your kids do online. Management of the new web filter is done online with Windows Live. You can set various levels of content filtering or switch to a pre-determined list of child-friendly sites which can also include sites you’ve white listed. You can also prevent file downloads. Other features of this service include activity reporting, contact management (controlling who your kids can communicate with online), and the ability to manage requests by your kids to access restricted content.

All of which is great. If you have multiple kids and multiple computers, the one stop shop to configure access to the internet will save you tons of time. And tons of trips up and down the steps.

More info about Windows Family Safety

Filed Under: Software, Webspace Tagged With: Content filter, Kids, Parential Controls, Windows 7

Upgrade or replace?

June 17, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Once a computer reaches 4+ years old, you will start to have issues with it. No matter how much TLC you put into it, it will break down at some point.  4 years old, sure fix it. Easy answer. The “fix” probably wont last another 4 years though. Maybe it lasts another 3. Probably only gets you another 2 years before the next break down.

Now what?

  • Fix it again? Probably
  • Replace with a few new parts? Maybe
  • Replace with all new parts? Definitely Not
  • Sell it to someone and let them fix it? Shame on you
  • Get a new one? Maybe

OK, whats the correct answer? Depends. Every situation is different.

To even start to answer this question, I have a few questions:

  • What’s wrong with it?
  • Is it the same problem as before?
  • Does it still suit your needs?
  • Is it still “Fast”?

If the problem is a new problem, then i would fix it. If its the same problem, i would find out whats causing it, and how likely it is to happen again.

If its a virus problem, then GET IT FIXED. It’s a waste of money to buy a new pc when yours is only a few years old and it has a virus problem. You will probably get viruses on the new one you just bought. Then you have the cost of the new pc + the same repair cost as fixing the virus problem anyway.

Replace with ALL new parts? Just buy a new one. That’s what you’ll end up with anyway. All new parts =  new computer.

It is still suiting your needs? are you running the same applications as the day you bought it? Then get it fixed. It should still be plenty fast for your usage.

Have you become an all pro scrapbook-er, family tree maker, dvd copier, home movie maker? Then it may be time for an upgrade or a new machine. If you are doing fun and exciting new things, and you don’t have time to wait on the computer, then upgrade or buy new.

Sell it to someone and let them fix it? How mean.

Unless its family ( just kidding). Unless you tell the person what they are getting into, and, AND ( first and more important than the second one) they understand. Telling a non techie person how easy it is to fix the problem, isnt enough. How come you just didn’t get it fixed then?

Contrarily, if your pc is 8 years old, moves at the speed of smell, has parts falling off, Windows Millennium Edition, and a cdrom drive? Time for a new one. It’s not really worth it to upgrade. You run the risk of the non upgraded parts failing, and then you end up spending the same amount just over time, plus the added headache to boot.

Replace some of the parts? This is usually the best option. The P in PC takes a lot of work to achieve. Settings, favorites, installed programs, you spent all that time, getting your computer just the way YOU like it. If you get a new one, you’ll have to start all over.

If your system isn’t more than 5 years old, replace a few key parts, and viola! Almost a new computer. You get the speed benefits of a new system at half the cost and without having to reinstall and re-setup everything.

I have upgraded my computer since the beginning. I have yet to buy a totally new system going on 11 years now. Each time i spend 1/2 as much, and spend no time on the re-setup.

I will admit I have re-installed XP 2 times in 10 years. Then I couldn’t upgrade from XP to Windows 7 so i had to do a new install :(

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: new, Repai, trade, Upgrade, Windows 7, Xp

My data backup is worthless

June 17, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Every once in a while, a customer will call us a few days later with this very statement. ” This data backup you made is worthless!”

I always ask ” Why do you say that?” The three most common responses:

  1. I cant find any of my stuff
  2. I cant re-install my programs
  3. What is all this junk?

Lets start with issue 1

The computer stores data differently than how we  see it while we use it. Some of the storage folders are dynamic, meaning they change names depending on the user. For instance, in Windows XP, the MY Documents folder, actually doesn’t exist. Each user has a folder called my documents, and it is located at c:\Documents and settings\%username%\My documents.

If you go looking for c:\ my documents, you wont find it. If there is only one user, there is no telling what the actual user name is. It was set up when you first put your name into your pc. If you have a used system, it could be anything. Even if you change your display name, the computer does not change the c:\Documents and settings\%username%\to match.

So when you get your data backup, look to see how many users there are, and look through all the user files. Your things are in there, somewhere.

Now on to issue 2)

You can’t re-install programs from a basic data backup. We actually go to great lengths to explain this as early as possible in the repair process. The basic data backup copies your files, folders, and whatever else is readable from your old hard drive to your new hard drive or disc.

The reason you can’t re-install from the backup, is because you need the actual program to install itself. When you install a program, the installer program copies the files you need for your particular system from the cd to the pc. Then you take the cd out and save it (hopefully). What gets copied to the pc is not the entire cd, and is not enough for the program to re-install itself without the original install cd.

Some of the older windows 95-98 programs were so small, they may have actually copied the entire “floppy” to the pc. Then you could re-install from the pc because you have a copy of the floppy.

It may be a bit confusing, but they try to save space on the hard drive by not copying everything. They assume you will keep the cd in case you have to re-install………

Lastly issue 3)

We don’t know!  Seriously, how did you get all this stuff?

The Personal in Personal Computer means that everyone’s computer is different. The things you install, download, save, will not be the same as the next person. There is no way for me to know what you have and where you put it.

Most programs put things in the same place by default. The end user (you) can still change that. Every time you save, it asks where do you want to put it. If you use the same folder that comes up each time, then everything will be there.The computer is even programmed to open up to the last place you saved before!

Sounds good right? Until you (or someone) accidentally switches the location, now all your old stuff is not in the same place with your new stuff.

Think of it as trying to cook in a strangers kitchen. Where are the big pans? Small pans? Whipping spoons? Tops, bottoms, lefts, rights? It’s THEIR kitchen. You have no idea where their stuff is. You have to go hunting. Hopefully its in places that make sense. Hopefully you don’t have to look behind the fridge for the spoons, and in the garage for the bowls.

That’s how we handle customers data hunts. We can look in the most sensible places, or the places where most programs put the data.  If it’s not there, who knows where it is.

If you don’t, then we definitely do not. We can help you find it, just takes a little time. We don’t mind spending the time, you are in fact, our best customer!

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: Backup, BKUP, Data, Recovery

Extended warranty anyone?

March 28, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Consumer electronics are in the worst possible shape these days. It seems like everything we buy is junk. No matter where you bought it, who made it, or how much it costs, we are all buying a product produced with the least possible cost, with the most corners cut. These days, the company that cut the most corners (and got away with it) wins.

Computer hardware is no exception. I currently witness more out the box failures, than ever.

A few months back, I purchased a brand new microwave and it could came with a 30 day warranty. This wasn’t some off-brand model either. This was a nice, expensive ($200+) convection type microwave oven. I was very upset that the company only had 30 days worth of confidence in their product. Before I settled on that particular item, i went from store to store reading the different warranty’s with different models. 80% only had a 30 day warranty. I couldn’t find a single microwave with a (what i did consider standard) 1 year warranty. I wasn’t upset at the retailer, they don’t set the warranty policy, the manufacturer does.

Why was I surprised? In my own industry I have watched as the not so standard 1 year warranty has gone away. Very few items come with a 1 year warranty anymore. The ones that do, it takes so long to get a replacement, you may as well just buy another one anyway.

2 years ago we started tracking data on how difficult and lengthly the return process was for various manufacturers. Using that data, we begun carrying parts from manufacturers who had the best warranty and return policies. This has allowed us to maintain a 6 month warranty on all new parts.

The second part about any warranty is the “who administers the warranty” portion.

Consider this hypothetical scenario. You purchase a new refrigerator. The retailer tell you it has a 10 year manufactures warranty. Great! We’ll take that one, deliver it on Monday.  Your new appliance arrives on Monday, they set it up, and it works great. Works great for 2 years anyway, and now it leaks and doesn’t keep your food cold.

You call for repair service. You are informed you must take it across town to have it fixed. You call the “authorized repair center” to see how long it will be. They tell you a week or so, longer if they have to order the parts. Wh#!@$! What do we use until then? They have no idea, and neither do you.

That story has a somewhat happier ending than one in where you have to ship it off for service. (There are no authorized repair centers local to you.) Never paid to ship a 250+ pound object? It isn’t cheap. You are tempted to drive it there yourself.

What a headache. Unfortunately the same can apply to computers. You go into one of the big box retailers, and you buy a PC. When it needs service, you can’t take it back to where you purchased it. You have to call the manufacturer (Dell, HP, Sony, IBM, Gateway, Toshiba, etc) They will tell you how and where to get service. On some models, as an add-on you could have purchased in-home repair service. They send someone to you house and fix it there. Not all vendors offer that. For the ones that don’t, you have to ship your PC to them for service. It’s not as much as shipping a fridge, but what do you use in the mean time?

In the future, before you purchase anything, ask who does the warranty work. See if you have to ship it off, or can you bring it back to the place where you bought it.

Custom-PC services what we sell. If you bought it from us, you can bring it back to us (If it is still in warranty) 6 month warranty on all new parts. Feel confident that you will be taken care of when you buy from us.

Filed Under: Business policy, Hardware Tagged With: policy, returns, Warranty

Why are you closed today?

February 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

We have been hit with more snow than usual this winter. 4 inches dropped one day, then almost 8 inches 2 days later. Needless to say, the streets were bad, and many accidents ensued.

Being in the service industry, we are sometimes a “necessity” for other people to do business. If computers, internet, email, websites are down, it makes it difficult for others to get their work done.

If it is too dangerous to drive, then we will not open our stores. Instead of going out and driving the dark streets early in the morning, we take our que from the people who hav already decided the roads are too dangerous.

Each store follows their local school district. If it is too dangerous for parents, teachers, and students, then it is too dangerous for our employees as well.

Hopefully this sheds some light on when and how we decide to be closed. Hopefully this reduces the number of irate phone messages we find the day after inclimate weather closes one of our stores.

We know you need your computers, laptops, printers and servers we are repairing back. We will do our best to fix them as soon as possible when we re-open. (as we always do).

Try to understand that the safety of our employees is important as well. Without them, there wouldn’t be anyone to fix your computers, laptops, printers and servers.

Filed Under: Business policy Tagged With: Employees, Snow policy, Store hours, Weather

My hard drive died, now what?

February 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

You turned on your computer this morning, and instead of being greeted by a welcome screen, you are greeted by a message that looks something like ” Windows cannot start, file xyz is missing”. Now what?

Unless your computer is 6+ years old, its probably a no brainer to have your computer repaired.

So you take it somewhere (hopefully us) and the prognosis is that you’ll need a new hard drive. What a pain.

If you purchased your computer new from Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer, etc, then you most likely have a little sticker somewhere on the case with your windows key on it. Great! We can use this to re-install your operating system with no problems. And the rest of your stuff?

Windows by itself is pretty basic. You get IE, Media player, Movie maker, Solitare, and Outlook express. Chances are, the main thing you use from that list is Internet Explorer. What about Word, Outlook, Nero, Nortons, Realplayer, Smiley face maker, family tree mapper, and all the other icons that were on the desktop when you purchased it?

All those programs have to be installed separately. None of those are a part of windows. When you buy a computer, they put all that on for you. Most consumers don’t realize that if you have to have your hard drive replaced, you have to re-install all that stuff as well.

Most of the big PC manufacturers give you recovery “solution”  built into your hard drive. Thing is, that helps you absolutely zero if your hard drive dies.

If you run the recovery program, it puts your computer back the way it was when you bought it. Thats great for a “recovery” from a software issue, like a virus, bad download, or a failed update. However, if your hard drive goes, so goes the “system recovery” as well.

One of the biggest issues we have is explaining all that to our customers. We have found that saying we’re going to re-install “Windows” does no good at conveying the message that Windows is all you will get. Even saying, all windows comes with is IE is still not enough. (they must think we’re joking)

When they ask “How do I get the rest of my programs” our first question is” Do you have your software cd’s?” If their answer is no, our next comment is to  contact your original retailer.

We can  install windows  because your product key is on the PC somewhere. The product key to the rest of your software should be in that big stack of paperwork you got when you purchased your pc.

Sometimes we cant get your product key from the PC. Someone may have removed it, or its too damaged to read.

Losing that key is like losing $100. You will be forced to buy your software again. Losing your recovery cd’s is like losing $500. Windows Pro+ office 2003 Pro + Nero = over $500 worth of software.

Most computers give you the option to create recovery cd’s from the recovery partition the first time you boot your computer. Make sure you do that. Sometimes the opportunity to do that expires after 90 days. Then you cant do it. You can try to call and complain to Microsoft, but it probably wont get you anywhere.

Filed Under: Business policy, Software Tagged With: Install, Partition, Recovery, Windows

My computer is too loud!

January 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Sometimes a customer’s only complaint is about the noise level of their computer. Usually our customers computers don’t work at all and this can be a welcomed detour from the usual repair issues.

The main culprit is often times a noisy fan or a noisy few fans. Usually the bearings are going bad. ( More than you need to know about bearing here).

Some PC fans have temperature controlled speed sensors. When the system starts to overheat, the fan speeds up until the temp comes down. Pretty much the same way some car’s cooling systems operate.

Sometimes a loud fan means the system is not cooling itself properly. This applies to desktops and laptops. The cooling system may be too dirty, or filled with pet hair. (Happens quite often)

As computers become faster and faster, they also generate more and more heat. About 6 years ago, the simple heating fix was more fans or more faster fans. The faster the fan, the more noise it makes.

Starting about 2 years ago, there was a slow switch to larger fans that spin slower. A big fan moving slow, can move as much air as a small fan moving fast. Slower fan=less noise.

If your computer is too loud, come see us. We can make your bedroom a quiet or office place again!

Filed Under: Hardware Tagged With: cooler, CPU fan, desktop, laptop, overheating

Laptop DC jacks, what a mess

January 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

One of the more costly repairs for a laptop is a loose or broken DC jack.  Be it bad design, or bad users, these things are very fragile. They don’t last long no matter what name is on your laptop.

Most DC jack do not have enough internal reinforcement to meet the demand caused by movement of the power plug. Quite often the DC jacks simply fail under normal conditions. After a year or two of usage, the thing just comes loose.  The issue that upsets customers the most is when the laptop gets dropped and the plug jerks the DC jack loose. (ouch) In rare cases, the jack was not installed well by the manufacturer.

So what do you do?

Most repair places will only offer to replace your motherboard. While that does work, its the most expensive option. However, it’s also the option that will probably last the longest. The second choice is to re-attach the DC jack to the motherboard. That usually saves you a few hundred dollars.

Like all things, you get what you pay for and most “re-attachments” never last as long as the original job from the factory.

Why you ask?

These PBC (printed circuit boards) are built by machines. Doing it by hand is not likely to match the precision accomplished by machines.

We usually try to re-attach the DC jack when it can be done. Sometimes the PCB is damaged, and a new jack wont fix the problem either.

Then its either a new MB or a new laptop. Windows 7 is a nice upgrade anyway!

Filed Under: Business policy, Hardware Tagged With: DC jack, Laptop repairs, Motherboards

Windows 7 God mode (additional admin options)

January 7, 2010 By admin 4 Comments

There is a new “trick” in Windows 7 that shows users a single place to do everything from changing the look of the mouse pointer to making new hard-drive partitions.

To enable this pseudo hack, create a new folder and then rename it:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Nice huh?

I’m not sure it’s my idea of playing God, but it is a handy way to get to all kinds of controls.

WHile Win7 came with many bells and whistles, finding them all is quite a pain.

Be careful with this if you run vista, it doesn’t work well and may crash the system.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: Control panel, God mode, Win7 tricks

Vista upgrade doesn’t ask for CD

January 7, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

A few of our customers who have purchased the Upgrade versions of Windows Vista cannot perform clean install. You are forced to install their previous OS and then upgrade to Vista.

What a time waster.

The problem is because Windows Vista does not check for upgrade compliance. Therefore, you cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.

Looks like Windows 7 followed the same route.

If you purchased the upgrade, just stick the CD in and don’t format first.

Filed Under: Software Tagged With: Install, Upgrade, Vista, Windows 7
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