Virus removal can be a difficult task even for the tech-experts and some viruses can resist removal.  If your computer is playing sounds, moving extremely slow or taking you to wrong websites I recommend you seek a qualified computer repair shop for removal.  If on the other hand your computer is running well and you want to do a routine virus scan here are some tips to keep your computer free of infections.  You should do a weekly virus scan with a powerful malware removal tool (not your antivirus software suite) such as Malwarebytes free edition which I will explain in detail below.

Start in Safe Mode

Safe mode is used for troubleshooting issues and runs only the minimum software and drivers necessary to start your computer. To start in safe mode you should remove all the CDs, floppies, or USB storage from your computer and restart.  Press and hold the F8 key while the computer is restarting. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo is shown. If it appears before you press F8, then you need to go through the entire restart cycle again. You will be shown a black screen with white lettering and an advanced boot option menu. Use the down arrow to select “safe mode with networking” and hit enter.

Remove Any Suspicious Programs from Control Panel

You should manually remove any suspicious programs from your computer using the control panel.  The file path in Windows 7 is: Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.  Make sure you know what you are removing and take precautions not to remove any of your system software that is critical for your machine to run correctly or application software that you use which is “non-problematic.” I especially target games, toolbars and media players for removal.  If you have a question about what an application does “Google It.”

Remove Aftermarket Browsers and Reset IE

I recommend removing aftermarket browsers such as Chrome and Firefox and resetting Internet Explorer by following the below steps.  To remove Chrome and Firefox go back to Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.  Internet Explorer can be reset in control panel too. The file path in Windows 7 for resetting IE is Start > Control Panel > Networking and Sharing >Internet Options > Advanced Tab.

Run Malwarebytes Free Edition and Restart

The Malwarebytes is a free Anti-Malware program, which features high speed scanning and removal of the suspicious Malware on your computer. If not installed, you can download it free from the internet at http://www.malwarebytes.org. Be sure to stick with the free version and do not enable the Pro Version (uncheck checkbox for pro). Once installed, select full scan.  After the scan if finished check the box by the infections and click remove.  Restart your computer.

At my computer repair shop in Louisville I see these three problems over and over. Sometimes it is the result of normal wear-n-tear. Parts wear out, right? And there are plenty of lemon parts with computers. I’ve seen a new hard drive fail in the first thirty days of use, for example. But sometimes accidents happen. And, often mistakes are made due to the fact that people don’t know how to properly maintain and handle their computer equipment. This article will make you aware of lurking dangers so you can avoid accidents and maintain your equipment properly, and avoid these costly and preventable laptop repairs completely.
 
DC Jack Repair
 
DC Jacks or charging ports take a lot of abuse. I know I’ve had several ignitions in my car replaced over the years. When I was a starving college student I remember one winter I would spray deicer in the ignition so my key would work. It got me through the winter, but finally I had to replace the ignition. The DC Jack on a laptop is the hole where the power adaptor or “charger” plugs into the computer. In most laptop units, the DC jack is directly soldered onto the motherboard — which not only makes it delicate but also expensive to repair. Often the entire laptop has to come apart to do the repair as there is no access anywhere around the jack. The three most common reasons the jack breaks is: 1.A child or animal trips on the cord. 2. People jerk the cord out hard and at an angle and do not realize it is not that difficult to break a solder joint and 3. People travel — either across the room or across the city — with the charger still connected to the laptop. Don’t do it!
 
Screen Repair
 
Perhaps even more common is laptop screen repair and replacement. I have seen laptop screens break when someone picked up a laptop by the corner of the screen to move it off of the floor up onto a table. Their thumb went right through the screen. I almost did it once myself. It is a very delicate screen. It does not have to be a dropped or take a hard impact to cause a cracked laptop screen. Another common scenario is closing something in the laptop. A mouse, a letter opener, even a flash drive left on the keyboard when the laptop is closed can cause a screen to break or fail. It is an expensive repair depending on the laptop screen and computer make and model. So, be aware of this “soft spot” on your laptop and be extremely gentle with it.
 
Motherboard Failure
 
Perhaps the most expensive and devastating, but rather common laptop repair is motherboard repair. This is what I consider a “catastrophic event” in the computer repair business. The entire machine has to come apart, the board taken out, and repaired at the microscopic level with expensive equipment. Sometimes this part simply fails, but often it is the result of what’s known in the industry as a “thermal event.” That is a heat related issue. To prevent this from happening, keep your laptop computer as cool as possible. Despite the name, a laptop should NOT be anyone’s lap. While the exhaust fan for the CPU is often located on the side of a laptop, the air intake is often located on the bottom. If your laptop is on your lap you are probably covering up the air intake for your exhaust fan which is extremely dangerous. You want to keep your laptop on a flat, cold, hard surface at all times! You can install free software such as the core temp monitor (be careful not to get a virus infection when you’re downloading free utilities) to monitor the actual temperature of your laptop from the inside. Also you can leave the battery out. I’ve never even had a battery in my laptop it’s still in plastic. It is not necessary to power a laptop that is plugged in to a wall outlet and only generates more heat. Keep the fan basins blown out with compressed air – especially if your home is dusty or you have dogs or cats. And as the computer starts to age if the heat monitor utility shows your laptop heat is on the rise, you can even go to the power options and turn your processor down a bit. As your laptop ages you probably don’t need your processors to run at 100% constantly. Mine is set to 95% and that alone gave me about a 5 degree drop in core temperature.
 
My old laptop, which is now my field machine, lived the first years of its life set up in my home office. It hardly ever went mobile (only when I traveled out of town). It is way past average life expectancy and still runs great at ten years old. So, heed the warnings and follow these simple suggestions and avoid these expensive and common laptop repairs in your future. You can find more information on laptop repair here.
 

At On-Site Louisville Computer Repair Co. I often get asked to set up new computers for people.  This is a good idea since there is much involved in the process.  Nevertheless, there are many people that like to do things themselves, so I wrote this article for you “Do-it-yourselfers” which covers the process.  Hope this helps.
 
Get Your Files off Your Old Machine
 
If you have files and folders on your old machine you need to put them on a portable storage device, a flash drive, and then move them to your new machine after you set your computer up… I would leave a copy of the files on the flash drive and that is your back-up should you experience a catastrophic machine failure in the future.
 
Plug In, Go Through Set-up Menu and Run Your Updates:
 
When you turn your new computer on you will be prompted to choose settings for the computer name, time zone, language, network, updates, etc.  This is very intuitive — just fill in the blanks.   This is also a good time to register the computer and software.  Then you are ready to run updates. Since your machine has been sitting on a warehouse or retailer’s shelf for a while you will have updates due at the time of purchase.
 
Uninstall Bloatware and Activate Antivirus Software Suite
 
Bloatware is the software that will come preloaded with your brand new laptop or desktop in the form of 30 day trials or trail subscriptions or other junk.  While this software may not be harmful (debatable) most of the times they are just a waste of space. To remove simply go to Control Panel > Add/Remove> Uninstall.  If your machine has a one year subscription to an antivirus suite you can activate that at this point.  Otherwise you can uninstall the 30 day antivirus trial and read my article on “Five Free Antivirus Suites You Can Try for Zilch.”
 
Creating a System Restore Disk
 
You can create a restore disk in case something happens and you need to restore your computer to its factory state.  Since most computers come with a recovery partition that allows you to recover your computer to factory state, making is disks is optional; however, there are circumstance where the recovery manager will not function normally, such as destruction of the partition by a virus infections, etc. Therefore many people still choose to create disks in case of emergency. To do this:
 
♦Go to start menu.
 
♦In the search bar, type “backup”.
 
♦Click on the “backup and Restore” option.
 
♦On the left side of the panel, you will see an option “create a system repair disc”.
 
♦Click on the option and follow the process.
 
Configure Power Options:
 
Familiarize yourself with the power settings and options available in your computer. In Windows Vista and 7 just go to start and search for “Power Options.”  You can configure all your power options here including when the screen turns off, when or if the computer sleeps, what happens when you close the lid and what the power button does.
 
Choose Your Home Page and Make Bookmarks
 
When you get on the internet with Internet Explorer you probably want the page that comes up to be your favorite search engine, or your Email Login Page (which are often the same place).   Most people set their homepage to Google, Yahoo, or Bing.  In your browser window go to Tools>Internet Options> and then set your home page to the preferred URL.  This is also a good time to visit your Bank Website, Favorite Shopping Site, and other places you visit on a regular basis and add those websites to your favorites, favorite’s toolbar, or bookmarks.
 
Transfer Your Files From Your Old Machine
 
Remember the files we pulled off your old machine earlier?  Now is a good time insert your flash drive and drag old documents, photos, and music to your new computer. Plug in the flash drive and wait for it to populate “Computer” screen.  Then drag a copy of your files, photos and music to the appropriate folder on your new machine and get back to computing as usual on your new computer!
 

Deciding whether to buy a tablet, desktop or laptop can be a hard decision given there are so many choices in the market today. Although it largely depends on the individual choice of each buyer, I hope that having knowledge about the features and functions will help. Below is a brief description on each one of them so you decide which one is best for you.
 
A tablet is highly portable computing device, that has features similar to that of laptops with a bit more portability but less functionality for serious computing tasks. If you are someone who is always on the go and need your computer handy all the time, then this might be your choice. A tablet has a touch screen that can be used with fingers or stylus. It has a durable body and comes with a 7-inch to a 10-inch display screen and weighs less than 1 pound. Caution should be taken by the user to avoid any damage of the touch screen display. The main advantage of a tablet computer is its portability, light weight, powerful pen recognition, small size and attractive design. Tablets often have a longer battery life than a laptop. While it’s been my belief that “no serious work can be accomplished on a tablet” with the advent of the attachable keyboard I’ve revised my belief on that a bit.
 
A laptop is a slightly larger but still highly portable computer that is also capable of serious computing tasks. They consume less space on a desk or a table than a desktop computer. Laptops are battery operated and are attached to a single cord instead of multiple cords like in desktop. They come with a built in touchpad, speakers and webcam. Although, I still prefer attaching a mouse. A mouse is essential to accomplish any type of real research, creation and production. Laptops are very useful for people in the corporate sector who are always on the move and for international students as well. They are great for traveling and if you are using an aircard you will have access to an uninterrupted internet connection anywhere and anytime. I actually prefer a large, powerful laptop now for my primary computing. I leave it set up stationary 98% of the time and don’t carry it with me. I have a smaller laptop I keep for trips.
 
Desktop – A desktop is a personal computer with a separate tower, keyboard, mouse, and monitor. A desktop computer can be plugged into a wall outlet. Unlike a laptop a desktop is not a portable device. It is stationary. If you need a supercomputer, for some reason, a desktop is probably a best choice as the larger case can hold more components. Another benefit is that you can hook as large of a monitor to it as you like, whereas you’re limited on the size of your monitor with a tablet and laptop (you can plug an external monitor to a laptop but it is not as practical usually). Desktops are easier to upgrade than laptops and and generally speaking –easier to repair. You never have to worry about running out of battery life. And, finally, 90% of computer thefts are of tablets and laptops – not desktops.

As more and more people become aware of the benefits internet banking and purchasing, there has been a steady increase in the number of people using it. Little doubt exists that doing things on-line is time-saving and very convenient. Many, however, are concerned about whether online banking and purchasing is safe. And, given the ever- increasing rate of cybercrimes, this is a very important question to consider. In this article, I will address these issues and also provide some tips that you can implement to make your online banking and purchasing safe and profitable.
 
Beware of Phishing Attacks
 
One common method used by individuals and crime syndicates that attempt to scam on-line users is to first obtain the victim’s online banking credentials, credit card details or any other login information. This is generally through e-mails, and by designing duplicate web pages that may look similar to your online banking page. These fraudulent e-mails and websites can be identified with a little awareness. No bank will ever ask their customers for login information via e-mail. Never click on the link provided in an e-mail asking to enter your login information. Always type the URL provided by the bank in your browser or through a bookmark created by you to login into your online banking account. Even if your bank sends you e-mail, don’t access the website through the e-mail. You can read the email, but then close it and go to the next email in your inbox. No need to link from your inbox to your bank website. You can do your banking after you read your email.
 
Observe Details on the Login Page
 
First make sure your banking website looks normal. If you don’t think it looks like it usually does, call your bank and make sure the URL (web address) is correct to the letter. Next, banking and secure online stores are always done through a web page that encrypts your information to keep it safe from unauthorized people viewing it. An encrypted webpage should have two elements: a small lock icon in the address bar, and a starting URL of https:// rather than http://. These are two signs that your data is securely encrypted and cannot be accessed by anyone else.
 
Buy and Bank at Home
 
If you want to be super secure with online purchases and banking then don’t bank or buy at the library, your friend’s house, work or Starbucks. You should ensure that you do your on-line banking and purchasing at home on a secure WPA network that is password protected. Not on public networks or your workplace where you have little control over your computer and network settings. Information accessed or typed on public networks can be accessed by others. At your workplace, there might be server settings in place to monitor your online activity which also makes your information susceptible to others.
 
It is fairly easy to stay cyber-safe regarding on-line financial transactions. Often it is the negligence of these little things that makes us vulnerable to cyber-fraud. A little bit of caution will definitely make your on-line banking and purchasing rewarding, convenient, and above all safe.
 

With a smartphone, clicking and transferring pictures is an easy task! Just keep clicking and when done transfer them to your computer. Only how to do it?  Transferring pictures from a Smartphone to computer can be done in a number of ways . . . here are the most popular below.
 
Send As Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
 
Ever texted someone a picture?  You just used MMS. Smartphones have an option to send images via MMS usually just by touching the image you wish to send and following some simple menu commands. To send the image to your computer, instead of filling the cell number, you will need to fill your Email in the send section. Once sent, you can login to your email and quickly download the photo, which comes as an attachment.
 
USB Cable Method
 
All Smartphones should come with an USB cable, which connects to any computer directly. If not you can call your cell phone provider and request a USB transfer cable.  Your phone needs to be ON, when you plug the cable into your phone and computer. A new drive will come up (or populate in the “my computer” window of your PC where your other drives can be accessed), then search your phone for images right from your computer.  You open the files in your phone, just like you would open a flash drive — two quick left clicks. Then drag and drop pictures wherever you store your photos on your computer.
 
Memory Card Method
 
Most smartphones have an internal memory card called a micro SD chip; check if your phone has one by removing the back cover and looking for a small chip with a memory designation such as “2gb” on it. If you need help you can visit your cell phone provider and they will help you for no charge.   Pictures which you would like to transfer can be plugged directly into your computer usually SD to Micro SD adapter which can be purchased for about $10 almost anywhere with an electronics department.
 
Sync Method
 
Sync your phone and computer and the photographs will be automatically transferred to the computer. If you have syncing enabled on your phone once you plug your phone to your computer it will quickly prompt the computer to open the specific photo application that displays the pictures on the Smartphone. Select to upload photos and place them in your photo folder on your PC>
 
Bluetooth Method
 
Activate the Bluetooth of your Smartphone. It is usually found in Settings or Control. Ensure that Bluetooth is turned ON in your computer. Bluetooth settings are usually in the system tray of tiny icons in the bottom right hand corner of your taskbar.  With Mac’s it is located on the upper toolbar, ride side. Open the pictures gallery in your Smartphone and select send or copy option. Next choose the Bluetooth option. After confirming that you intend to enable Bluetooth, you will find the menu usually pops up automatically. Click ‘look for devices’ and select your Computer name or ID from the list. A request will be immediately sent requesting communication from your computer and phone.  Then simply then simply drag your pictures to the appropriate folder on your computer.
 

Here at my shop in Louisville, KY I have lots of people call with a “slow computer” complaint. Any person who owns a computer knows that the speed often slows over time. While some can easily overcome these problems, many cannot. My computer, because of my heavy use, often requires daily maintenance. Thankfully for me this is almost always only a software issue (I did upgrade my ram when I purchased my laptop and I have upgraded my Internet Service twice). However, hardware can also be causing a problem. Below I have listed some of the reasons your computer might be running slowly and some tips on how to fix it.
 
Your Computer Is Out of Tune
 
Computers have a habit of getting “out of tune” I call it as time goes by. By this I mean that your computer becomes bogged down by fragmentation, partial uninstalls, software glitches and conflicts, registry errors, temporary file buildup, toolbars, browser add-ons and other clutter and problems. Windows has built-in utilities to solve some of these problems but others require aftermarket utilities and some computer know-how. For starters, pay attention to your browser and make sure toolbars haven’t been installed inadvertently (I avoid most toolbars altogether). Look in your control panel and uninstall software you’re not using anymore or any that looks suspicious. If you don’t know what a program is “Google” or “Bing It.” Run the free utility CCleaner from Piriform to fix your registry and clean up your temporary files. It’s also a smart idea to take your computer to a qualified repair shop for a tune-up on an annual basis. The computer repair professional should be able to give you insight on how you’re doing with keeping your PC in good running condition and should be able to tell you, based on examining your machine, how often you need to bring it in for a tune-up in the future.
 
You Don’t Have Enough Mbps (Megabits Per Second) From Your Internet Service Provider
 
Ever been in a situation when you are trying to catch up on your favorite soap, online documentary or YouTube Video and all you get is “buffering.” It’s frustrating isn’t it? Do you have endless “hour glassing” every time you try to do something on the web? You might not be getting what you’re paying for from your Internet Service Provider. Or you might not have enough service for your computing needs. For example, it takes about 3-6 Mbps service to stream a YouTube Video without buffering. Today’s busy households require, in my opinion, at least 10Mbps Service. Once you upgrade your service you also need to test your Internet Speed to make sure you are getting it. You can do this by going to speedtest.net and using the free on-site utility. And you shouldn’t have to download anything to do it. Simply hit “begin test.”
 
You Need More Random-Access Memory (RAM)
 
RAM is a type of data storage in your PC which directly affects speed. When you launch an application or software on your computer, RAM is responsible for running the software. If you do not have RAM your computer might not be able to open and run multiple applications or meet the demands you place on it. This problem can easily remedied by purchasing and installing additional RAM for your computer. When you purchase RAM, it is important to check with the salesperson which type of memory is compatible with your PC. If you don’t know how to upgrade your RAM call a qualified computer repair shop in your area.
 
Your Processor is Out of Date
 
Another hardware component closely related to computer performance is the processor. As new programs and software are created and take more and more updates, they requirements to run them increases. Often, people are trying to run newer or resource intensive applications on older machines with a processor that can’t handle the new software efficiently.
 
You Have Infections
 
People are often shocked to learn that computer viruses are almost inevitable. And, you can even get them while browsing on sites that you think are safe. I can’t tell you how many times people are stunned when I tell them they have over 100 infections on their machine . . .or I tell them I can see infections from across the room. They have no idea they have computer viruses. The best way to prevent this is to use anti-virus software with “real time” protection and research articles on “How to Prevent Computer Viruses.” There is an article on the blog about this subject and also many articles online about virus prevention. Learning better, safer, web browsing habits on a regular basis is nice addition a computer user’s skillset. And definitely a skill you will want to master if you want your computer to run better . . . and faster.
 

Nearly 100% of all computer virus infections and scams come from internet activity – nowhere else. Malicious software doesn’t magically install itself on your computer nor does it usually enter though a flash drive or disk. It comes in through the internet. Where else, right? There are many ways that you can improve security when it comes to your online activities. It is imperative to develop these habits now as doing so will help protect you from increasing problems with unsecure utilities, software and viruses that might seriously affect your security and computer health in the future.
 
Monitor Browser Health
 
Your web browser is your gateway to the internet world. Therefore its health and security is your first line of defense against threats coming in from the internet. There are three common web browsers that most people use today. MS Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. IE comes with your OS and can’t be uninstalled. It should be an adequate browser if kept clean and free of corruption and infection. From the menu or command toolbars you can check your add-ons and see if anything unexpected is ominously lurking in your browser. Oftentimes people inadvertently install add-ons (usually toolbars) while downloading utilities they think might be useful. These add-ons can seriously compromise browser security and affect browser performance, as well. To see if you have add-ons go to: Tools >Manage Add-ons >Toolbars and Extensions. Here you can disable the add-ons and then remove them from the control panel. If you see many add-ons that you do not recognize you should reset IE completely. To do this go to: Tools >Internet Options >Advanced >Reset. It is easy to do and you do not lose your bookmarks/favorites. Afterward remove unwanted software from the control panel.
 
Be Aware of Phishing Scams
 
Phishing schemes commonly delivered in the form of email is a type of scam where you are potentially tricked into downloading junk utilities or software (which often asks you for money later) a virus, or providing sensitive information. These messages are made to look as though they have originated from your bank, social media or payment sites such as Paypal or other legitimate people or companies. The phishing message often contains a link that will then lead to a counterfeit version of the site or ask you to open an infected attachment or download an infected utility. Or it might contain an attachment that it says you should open to continue. Don’t allow your curiosity to kill your computer. Delete all unsolicited mail. Never click links in emails or open email attachments unless you recognize the sender. And don’t give your credit card information over the internet unless you do it directly on a website (not from your email Inbox or a pop-up message) and you’re sure you trust the company.
 
Avoid Most Free Utilities
 
It’s very tempting to install that snazzy fish tank screen saver you see flashing on the sidebar of your favorite social site. DON’T DO IT! These types of free utilities usually come with a catch. In order to use them you give up something . . . usually your browser health or internet security in return for the favor. Video players, music converters, game toolbars, chat applets, screen savers, pc optimizers and cleaners and the like are all very tricky utilities to use without getting toolbars and viral infections. Next time you want to get that utility that makes your Facebook like an Electric Light Orchestra concert . . . .think twice about it. . .
 
Run a Malware Removal Tool Regularly
 
Even though you may think you’re protected because you have antivirus software you’re not. It is about as effective as a safety on a gun – not very effective at all. Especially where people are not adequately trained on computer systems or there are multiple users on a single machine. In this case, I often find that the computers have multiple virus infections present. It is important to run a virus removal utility such as AdAware or Malwarebytes (both of which are free) on a regular basis in addition to updating your Antivirus Software. Antivirus software alone is not enough. Yes you read that right. The antivirus software that you are relying on to protect you from virus infections is inadequate to protect you in all circumstances. Therefore I recommend you use separate virus removal software for removal on a regular basis. Caution: Be careful when installing a malware removal tool that you do not install another full antivirus suite. If you have any question uninstall the malware removal utility when finished. For more free information on computer repair topics you can visit my website here or blog called PC News.