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Choosing the Right Computer Repair Company for your situation. |
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When choosing the right computer repair company, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First of all, What kind of service do you need? Some companies offer Software Troubleshooting
while others offer Hardware repair and Networking. If you are looking for more advanced services
some companies offer virus removal, spyware removal, advanced networking, server setup,
website design, wireless networking, hardware troubleshooting and much more.
You may also want to consider wether you need on-site repair or if you can bring your machine in.
If you are unable to remove your pc, your computer is at a
business, or you dont want to haul in your computer, you will probably want on site repair.
If a computer repair company offers on site repair, they can come out to your location and repair
, service, or troubleshoot your machine if it is within their coverage area.
You don't have to take your machine anywhere. This can be very convenient.
When you decide on a company it is recommended that you back-up all data on the machine you are getting
serviced. If you do not know how to back-up your information, This can be done by one of the service
companies. Backing up data on your computer before it is serviced is definitely not a requirement, but more of a
recommendation.
If you are planning on setting up a network, or setting up your office, there is alot to consider.
What computer company will you use? Do they offer on site service? Do they offer the services you need? Will you need a website?
Website hosting? Are you going to need a file server? How secure do you need your network? What
operating system will work the best for your server and/or workstations? Will it be easy to upgrade?
You may think where you bought the computer from would be the best place to have it serviced, However
this is not recommended as you may easily end up overpaying for repair services on your computer.
These are a few things you may want to consider when choosing the right computer repair company for you.
The First Pc Repair directory is designed to help you find service providers in your area.
Copyright © 2006 FirstPcRepair.com
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Does your service provider cover your computer brand? |
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Sometimes a situation might arise where the computer repair company does not
cover your machine. This is relatively common for mac or macintosh users. It is advisable
when you are selecting a repair company that you ask if they service your brand of machine.
There are a various number of brands available today, However most of them share some
simularities. Machines like compaq, e-machines, dell, hp (hewlitt packard), micronpc,
acer, gateway, asus and alienware all typically run amd or intel processors and most
use microsoft windows as an operating system. This means if your machine is one of the
following brands, it will be easy for you to find a company to repair your computer.
Some brands are harder to find service for. Macintosh (mac) computers are harder
to find repair services for due to the fact that they are less commonly used. However
the introduction of use with the intel processor may change this.
Copyright © 2006 FirstPcRepair.com
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Is your computer infected with Spyware? |
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Industry experts suggest that spyware programs may reside on up to 90 percent of
all Internet-connected computers. This leaves a pretty good possibilty that your computer does have spyware.
Spyware is software that is designed to do one of the following things
- Track Internet activity
- Launch Unwanted Advertisements
- Change default Search Pages
- HiJack your browser
- Provide hackers with access to your computer
- Allow your machine to be used as a client in a D.O.S attack
- Log Banking information
- Log Credit Card Numbers
No matter how you look at it, Spyware is NOT a good thing. The worst part about spyware is sometimes it can be very difficult
to trace. Here are a few signs that your computer might have some spyware, adware, a key logger or a Trojan Horse.
- Surfing the internet became dramatically slower.
- Overall performance of the computer is less
- You get more than 5 popups within an hour
- Your Hard-Drive is constantly in use
- Internet explorer starts on a different page than what you want
- Your computer randomely sends out e-mail without you anywhere near
- You have messages telling you "Your computer is infected"
- While on the internet, your computer is constantly sending data
Regardless of wether your surfing or not..
 What is a Trojan?
Trojans, or Trojan Horses are illegit programs that appear as harmless or sometimes desirable applications.
These programs are designed to steal or encode computer data, and spread themselves to other computers.
Some Trojan horses give attackers complete access to your computer whenever you're online.
The attacker can perform malicious activities, like file transfers, adding or deleting files and programs,
changing website routing and basically anything they want. The most common sign's of a trojan horse will
be your internet access going extremely slow. Trojans are also known for bringing other trojans in.. If you find
one, its quite possible you have five to ten more.
What is Adware?
Adware is software designed to advertise on your machine, typically in an obstructive manner. Adware usually
pops up windows, redirects you to different web pages, changes your search pages to theirs, and makes the overall
internet surfing somewhat unpleasing and more annoying.. Adware falls lower on the Risk scale, because it is
more on the annoyance.
What is an Adware Cookie?
Adware cookies are small files that contain information pertaining to Web sites that you have visited.
Most cookies are legitimate, however some are not. Some cookies are created merely to save time, for example;
when you visit a Web site and it remembers your username, that is because of a cookie.
On the downside to this, Some sites now leave adware or illegitimate cookies, designed to store sensitive personal
information, ex: surfing habits,
usernames, email, region, passwords, and resell this information to other Web sites.
This allows advertising or marketing firms to create a profile based on your information, surfing habits, and
regional location and sell it to other firms. Adware cookies are designed to install and operate without you ever knowing.
What is a Keylogger?
A Keylogger, also known as a system monitor, Is a program designed specifically to monitor information you enter into
your computer. This includes usernames, passwords, logins, credit cards, stock information, and whatever else you might
enter into your computer. Unfortunately Keyloggers are not always easy to find, they run behind the scenes and usually
will not slow down your computers performance and therefore remain unnoticed. Keyloggers are commonly disguised as email
attatchments or free software.
How does it get in my computer?
Spyware commonly arrives bundled in with freeware or shareware, through email or instant message,
or by illegitimate websites. Spyware is commonly bundled with peer to peer or
filesharing programs.
What is Spam?
Unfortunately were not talking about an overabundance of those little cans of meat.
On the internet Spam is a term for Junk mail. Spam is mail that is sent out sometimes completely at random, and unfortunately
everyone gets it. The best way to prevent spam is Not to reply, If it has an option to Unsubscribe, DO NOT do unsubscribe,
Unsubscribing only tells them that you check your junk mail, and you read it too.. The best way to prevent spam from the
beginning is to choose a long email name, possibly with a few numbers, and Do not subscribe to any email lists your not
familiar with. Anything that offers something free, pharmaseuticals, or an mlm is almost guarenteed to fill your inbox with
spam..
What is the difference between Spyware and a Virus?
It is very common that people have a hard time with this question. After all, Both are
malicious, uninvited, intrusive, and potentially destructive. Here are the real differences:
- Spyware: spyware is built to embed itself in a machine and hide, spyware will try to run undetected
as if it was part of the system. In hopes that you will never find its existance (unlike adware).
- Virus: a virus will infect your machine and immediatly try to infect as many others as possible
, typically this means sending out infected emails, or probing for open ports on unprotected computers. Wether it
successfully infects other computers or not, it then does whatever it was desinged for, which can be to wipe your drive
clean, modify files, or slowly degrade the computer. Virus's are a common cause of lost data or computer malfunction.
How can I get a virus, but my friend with a Mac did not get it?
Most virus's are designed to infect computers that are running windows or dos. There are virus's that infect macintosh also,
however they are less common. A virus that infects a Windows based machine usually cannot infect a macintosh because
macintosh runs a different operating system. This also applies to linux machines, unix, freebsd and solaris. Something
to compare this to would be: Your dog is sick, but you can't get sick from your dog.
With all this stuff on the internet, should I even bother?
Yes, Although the internet has some bad software floating around it is still a good source of information. If you are
concerned that your computer may have spyware, adware, etc. Simply bring it into your local computer technician and tell
them to check it for you. Most companies offer spyware removal.
Copyright © 2006 FirstPcRepair.com
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What is WiFi or wireless networking? |
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WiFi is the wireless way to handle networking.
It is also known as 802.11 networking and wireless networking.
The big advantage of WiFi is simplicity. You can connect computers anywhere in your home or office without the need for
wires. The computers connect to the network using radio signals, and computers can be up to 100 feet or so apart. This
is very convenient for laptops and is now commonly built in.
Whats an access point?
An Access point is a device you can hook to your current cable network or internet.
From there the access point broadcasts the information to and from the cable network or internet.
This is handy if you are wanting to quickly expand your network and wish to avoid running any new wires, or your want a
convenient network in your home. Access points can also be exactly as they sound, An area where you can access a
wireless network.
Whats a wireless expander?
A wireless expander is a device to be installed within 100 feet of your access point. From there the expander recieves
the signal from your access point and amplifies it to allow you greater distance from your access point.
Is wireless secure?
If you leave everything at its factory settings, No. Wireless security can be more secure, It offers a few options, they are
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption, Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA) and Network Address Translation (NAT).
What is a WiFi Hotspot?
A wifi hotspot is a location in which you can connect to an access point with your wireless card and access a network or
internet.
Copyright © 2006 FirstPcRepair.com
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About First Pc Repair's computer repair. |
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Here is some more information, In-case we missed anything.
First pc repair helps user find computer repair, We ourselves do not offer computer repair.
We bring together companies from across the nation to offer you nationwide computer repair, laptop repair and pc repair.
The idea is to help you find a computer repair technician in your area, So instead of always sticking with the same
overpriced company, You can actually find affordable computer repair in your local area.
Here is some more information to help make sure you have a
satisfactory experience.
What computer brands are covered?
Basically the computer repair companies in your area determine this. Most companies will repair dell, gateway, ibm,
emachines, gateway, hp, asus, acer and alienware. Some pc repair companies offer mac repair, also known as macintosh..
Not all companies will offer the same computer repair services, Some companies
offer computer consulting, online computer repair, wireless networking, data recovery, upgrades or other more specific services.
Keep in mind, not all repair companies will do laptop repair, Laptop repair (More specifically laptop hardware repair)
has a tendancy to be more difficult as the parts are smaller and the laptops are generally harder to work on.
What is pc repair versus computer repair? PC simply stands for personal computer, so pc repair and computer repair are essentially the same.
If your wondering how a company can do online computer repair, Here is how..
First, your pc must have access to the internet. From there the
online computer repair company will probably have you install some software, and then connect to your pc with that software. From here, they can remotely control your computer (move your mouse, open applications, change settings, etc..)
and this is how online computer repair is done..
Copyright © 2006 FirstPcRepair.com
Return to Top If your computer is still under warranty, Visit our page on Warranty Information. Find a Local computer repair company through FirstPcRepair. We provide a list of local computer repair shops in your
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