IBA Computer Services

Increase your Computers Speed

Marcus — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:41:43 +0000

Almost every visit we make, we get asked “how can I make my computer run faster.” There are many things you can do to make your computer faster. By far, the cheapest thing to do is add more memory. A desktop or a laptop with at least 2 gigs of memory (4 gigs for newer systems) will give you up to a 30% increase in speed. You can find memory for just about any computer on www.Kingston.com

If you want truly insane speeds, look into buying a SSD Hard Drive or a Hybrid Hard drive. Some SSD Drives will give you over 150% boost in speed. Remember though, SSD drives ONLY work with Windows 7, but a Hybrid Hard drive works with Windows XP and Vista. If you would like help installing any of these drives into your laptop or desktop, please feel free to contact us. You can read more about these here:

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Vertex-2-5-Inch-Solid-VTX3-25SAT3-120G/dp/B004Q81CKY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1309797453&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Momentus-7200RPM-Hybrid-ST95005620AS-Bare/dp/B003NSBF32

Best Free Software(s) for stopping Viruses and Spyware

Marcus — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:40:30 +0000

It’s inevitable, you WILL get a virus or a spyware program on your computer. It might come from a website that you just visited that was recently hacked, maybe your Outlook or personal email had an “important” link from your friend that you clicked on , or who knows, you were on FaceBook when you got a popup and you clicked on it. Or better yet, your kids get on your computer, and they click on everything they see on the screen.

Whatever the case is, here are a few FREE programs we recommend:

1. SpamFighter. This is for your Outlook email, and it does a great job in stopping spam emails. http://www.spamfighter.com/Download_Download.asp

2. Keyscambler Personal – This plug in encrypts your keystrokes when you are typing, so potential hackers cant see what your usernames or passwords are. You can find it on www.Download.com

3. AVG Free Anti Virus and Microsoft Security Essentials – Two great free Antivirus Programs. Remember, you only need 1 Anti Virus program on your PC, or your system will slow down. Also available on www.Download.com

4. Super Anti Spyware Free Edition – A great program to run about once a month. It will search for spyware, malware, and various other infections on your hard drive. Also on www.Download.com

5. CCleaner – A MUST HAVE. This really doesn’t protect you from spyware or viruses, but its a great program that removes all that extra junk on your hard drive, after surfing the web. Also on www.Download.com

If you have a virus now, and nothing seems to work, please contact us, and we can assist you with removing it.

Virus, Scareware and Fake Anti Virus on the Rise

Marcus — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:41:57 +0000

A 13 month study by Google shows that fake anti virus programs are a growing threat to PC users. This scareware tactic accounts for 15% of malware. The results of a Google study, show that fake anti virus software is increasing. Often referred to as scareware, these programs can infect computers by tricking users into downloading malicious software to “fix” non-existent viruses and malware.

How do Fake Anti Virus Malware and Scareware Work?

A fake anti virus program may first appear as a legitimate looking pop-up window that tells the user that they have a dangerous virus. They are then prompted to click to buy anti virus protection to sort out their system. There is, however, no virus at all but the advert contains a potential problem if the user then clicks on it.

DONT CLICK ON IT:

The best solution is to turn off your computer (hard shut down) so the fake program wont install. Yes you will lose whatever you were working on, but its much better than getting a virus.

WHAT IF ITS TOO LATE:

Call me or email me, and ill see if I can help.

Dell and HP Laptops and Desktops

Marcus — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:45:08 +0000

Ive been getting a steady stream of Dell and HP computers. Prices range fom $200 to $500. Most of these are 1 year old lease returns, and carry a 1 year warranty through the manufacturer. I have too many to post right now, so if you are interested, click on the Contact Us tab, and ill send you a list of what is currently available.

Thanks

Clean out your computer LITERALLY. Here’s how…

Marcus — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:33:05 +0000

If you can’t remember the last time you opened up your computer and cleaned it out, well when you are done reading this, you might want to. This is a video of a client’s computer that had never been opened or cleaned in 3 to 4 years.

Overtime, your computer gathers dust, dirt, pet hair and other household particles. If you don’t clean these out, then the dust clogs your power suppy fan, CPU fan, and Video Card fan. The heat from inside your computer can not escape, the inside of your computer gets too hot and then…. well you know the outcome. Freezing up, crashing, all the bad things

I know its hard to remember to clean out your computer, but I would recommend picking a holiday once a year (like Christmas), and give your computer the gift of being clean. DON’T buy those cans of air at your local Staples, use an air compressor to clean it out. If you don’t have a compressor, just take your computer down to a Gas Station, and use theirs (you know, the one that you use to put air in your tires with). And as you can see from my video, its fun for the whole family

This will ensure that your computer is running at an optimal temperature.

How to Back Up Your Hard Drive (GET CARBONITE)

Marcus — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 07:41:27 +0000

Hello everyone, Marcus here. Recently I’ve been seeing more and more clients that don’t have a back up program for all their data. Its hard for me to express how important this is.

So ill tell you a little story. This happened to me last week. A client called me in a panic saying “I cant get the computer to turn on, the screen is black. I have all of my kids pictures from 2006 until today, my Quickbooks, and at least 10,000 songs we uploaded from our CD library.” So I get there, and immediately I know the hard drive is dead. What’s the solution? (And this is no joke) send your hard drive to a data recovery company and pay between $500 to $2500 for them to recover all your data. If you think I’m joking, I’m not. So what should a home user or small business do INSTEAD of buying an external drive? Get Carbonite.

Let me say this. I DONT get a dime from Carbonite to promote them. I promote them because its the easiest way to back up your hard drive. PERIOD!!! Do you really have the time or can you remember to back up your hard drive to an external drive on a weekly basis? Of course not. But Carbonite does it for you every day, and every minute you are connected to the internet.

I love when I go to a client and they say they have an external drive, and then say “Oh yeah, I back everything up to that.” When I ask them when the last time you did that was, they say “I don’t know, maybe 6 months ago.” Remember, an external drive is also a hard drive, and it can fail too.

So people, if you get Carbonite (www.Carbonite.com) and spend a whopping $5 a month (for a home user, and a little more for a small business) it will AUTOMATICALLY back up EVERYTHING on your hard drive for you. Can we all say “no brainer?”

Please take 30 seconds and watch this clip of Carbonite. Feel free to call or email me with any questions.

Is your hard drive clicking? Can you hear it spinning? Its time to replace it…

Marcus — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:34:16 +0000

I get a lot of calls from customers that say they hear a “clicking sound” coming from their computer. Most of the time its the hard drive, and its getting ready to die. So I thought Id show everyone what a clicking hard drive sounds like.
When you can a sound coming from your computer like a whining, spinning, clicking, grinding or high pitched sound, chances your hard drive is getting ready for hard drive heaven. Don’t wait too long to replace your drive, because if you haven’t backed it up, and it fails, your in HUGE trouble. Most companies charge a minimum of $1000 to try to recover data. You can get a 500 gig hard drive today for less then $75. Isn’t $75 better than spending $1000 or more to recover data?

So run out (don’t walk) and buy a new hard drive. And as always, please feel free to contact me if you need my help.

Dell Dimension C521 Desktop

Marcus — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:24:56 +0000

(SOLD) This one is a 2 year old lease return. Has:

1. AMD X2 3800+ processor

2. 160 gig hard drive

3. 1 gig of memory

4. DVD player CD burner

5. Windows 7, Office 2007. Sorry does not have a keyboard or mouse.

Its $240.00 (SOLD)

What to do when you get multiple errors on your Computer

Marcus — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:51:59 +0000

Here is a great question I get asked at least 3 times a week. “Marcus, I’m getting this error, I’m getting that error, it takes FOREVER for my computer to start. I cant print, or burn CD’s or access my Outlook. Can you fix that?” The answer is YES. But first let me explain a few things.

As you all know, you are downloading “stuff” all the time on your computer. Maybe you got a new printer and forgot to uninstall the old one, maybe you bought some new software, maybe you updated a driver from the Microsoft updates page, download pictures, new ITunes songs, updated your Java, uninstalled and reinstalled software. The list goes on and on…

What’s happening is that each time you do this, your computer is gathering files on your hard drive and in your registry. And then all of a sudden, WHAM, you start having issues.

THE SOLUTION: Spend hours trying to trouble shoot the problem. You can download even more software programs that will scan your computer for errors, or just do this…. Make sure you back up EVERYTHING you have to an external drive or a third party website (like Carbonite www.Carbonite.com) wipe out your hard drive, and reinstall Windows XP or Windows 7. This will eliminate all errors and you will start loving your computer again. Notice, I didn’t say to reinstall Windows Vista. If your computer came with Windows Vista, now is the time to get rid of it. DON’T go back to Windows XP, move up to Windows 7. In my opinion (and most people’s opinion) Windows Vista slows your system down. Avoid it like the plague.

If you need help with doing this, please feel free to contact me. If you want to try to attempt this on your own, here is a link that will walk you thought some of the steps. It’s for XP, but also applies to Windows 7 and the dreaded Windows Vista. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313348

Dell Vostro 220 and 19in Dell Widescreen Monitor

Marcus — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:08:45 +0000

(SOLD) 6 month old lease return Dell Vostro 220. Plastic still on it. Comes with a 1 year Dell onsite warranty. This is a really fast system. These are the spec:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8Ghz Processor
2 gigs of memory
250 gig hard drive
DVD player CD burner
Windows 7 Ultimate
Office 2007

It’s $375.

(SOLD) I also have a Dell 19in analog widescreen LCD monitor for $75 it’s the Dell E1910.

Here are the pictures:

http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/dell_vostro_220-400-400.jpg

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADSA_enUS368US368&q=dell+e1910&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=5516936166340639631&ei=HqGVS_jRIJT8NbbA1JsN&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CAsQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers

Let me know if you are interested, or if you need any help with your computers.