Download ClearLock To Lock Computer With Transparent Lock Screen

Many users who want to leave their workstation or computer for a short while for some reasons might tend to lock-up their machine running in Windows OS by pressing the Windows logo Key

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Smartphone Applications For Computer Technicians Pt2 – Android

Last week we listed some iPhone applications that are useful to Computer Technicans, this week we are listing some Techie applications for Android based smartphones.

OnTheJob Management


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Upgrading your computer or laptop, on the cheap.

So, your computer or laptop  is running a bit slow, or you think its either time to upgrade or buy a new computer/laptop.  What is the best decision for you? Whether you have an apple computer, mac laptop, or a pc, upgrading typically has the best cost vs. benefit ratio.

As always, it depends and well, doesn’t depend on a few things. Can you afford a new computer? How old is your current computer? Well, Chicago’s CompuTechs

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Browse and edit the Windows Registry from Computer explorer folder

We have seen where the Windows Registry is located physically on the disk and how we can access and edit it using the Registry Editor. However, if you wish, you can access and modify the registry directly through the Windows Explorer.

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How to Fix Your Relatives' Terrible Computer [Tech Support]

Quick-fix triage (for non-booting systems you might be able to restore): Load an XP, Vista (if you must), or Windows 7 (Really? Broken already?) CD or DVD in the system and boot the system from there, which might require hitting a key to bring up "boot options" or pressing a key when asked to "Press any key to boot from CD." Wait for the CD to load—it may seem like it's installing, but it's just loading a mini-system for installation and, in this case, repair. Follow the prompts to repair an existing installation, or, in the case of Vista or 7, ask it to repair the startup process.

What you'll need:

XP, Vista, or Windows 7 installation CD/DVD: It may be from a computer manufacturer and not look like a Microsoft-obtained, holograph-packed disc, so look around a bit. If it's a "System Restoration" disc, be sure that you can boot from it and install a full copy of Windows from it.USB thumb drive: At least 1GB in size.External USB drive or blank DVDs: For backing up important files.Ubuntu Live CD or Knoppix Live CD: Both are Linux distributions, but we're just using them because they run on most kinds of hardware without installing, and can transfer the files you need to your backup media. Ubuntu should work; if it doesn't, give Knoppix a go. You can use the free tool UNetBootin to transfer the ISO you downloaded to a thumb drive, which is necessary if you're backing up to DVDs, and recommended in any case to speed things up.

Note: Since first posting this guide, we've since covered saving files, fixing boot-up problems, and purging viruses using an Ubuntu-powered thumb drive in a bit more depth. This basic guide still applies in any case.

If that doesn't work, and you really feel this system can boot again except for some silly error, try creating an Ultimate Recovery CD, as detailed at the How-To Geek's home away from Lifehacker.

If that worked, hooray! If not, soldier on to the next step.

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Power consumption and usage pattern in a Windows 7 computer

September 23rd, 2010. Filed under:Windows. Tags: Power
There is an interesting article at Microsoft Help which talks about Power options and then goes on to tell you where all the power goes in a Windows 7 computer. So if you are curious to know  how Windows 7 utilizes the power, this article may interest you!

So, where does all the Power go in Windows 7?

Display consumes  43% of the total power. On a large mobile PC that has a 21-inch LCD screen, Microsoft has found that the display consumed as much as 43 percent of the total power being consumed at high resolutions. This was especially true when the mobile PC was combined with a high-end graphics card that was tasked with video editing or gaming. An external display can consume from several watts of power to several hundred watts of power for a large plasma, LCD, or projected screen when you use Windows 7 Media Center. Newer OLED displays are on the horizon and will have a significant reduction in power consumption.

Disk usage consumes around 5%. Sustained hard disk usage consumes an average of around 5 percent of total power consumption in a mobile PC. New solid-state drives are much more efficient, because there is no mechanical mechanism and there are no platters spinning. Hybrid drives that have a solid-state and disk combo are an excellent choice. Another bonus to having no moving parts is that the hard disk is more resistant to the bumps and harsher treatment that mobile PCs experience. For servers, a datacenter-grade hard disk consumes on average 10 watts of power while in the idle state. When you multiply that by 1,000 or more hard disks in a typical datacenter, you have high current loads and additional cooling needs.

More RAM requires more power, because the chips are all powered on when you start a computer regardless of whether it has data.

Chipsets consume 21%. In terms of the total power being consumed to keep a system running, chipsets can on average consume 21 percent of the power, whereas processors (depending on the number and speed of the processors) can consume 10 percent of the power.

Network adapters consume 4% of the power. A wireless NIC may require more power. Typically, enterprise-level NICs that run in the gigabytes consume even more power.

The PC bus can also consume power. However, newer motherboards let buses be powered down when they are not being tasked. Or, you can set your system to Passive Cooling. Some manufacturers expose a great number of features that can be changed in the BIOS. Not all BIOSes expose or take advantage of these features. Some BIOSes may have these features but do not let the operating system alter the settings from the BIOS.

Attached devices such as mobile phones, TV cards, MP3 players, GPS devices, and wireless NICs all take additional amounts of power. When you attach these devices, the bus to which they are connected is powered up. Additionally, these devices may start charging their own battery. If you are using an AC power source, that is fine. But if you are using battery power or are using one or more devices that may not support the Selective Suspend feature when they run on battery, the battery run time will decrease significantly.

Drivers, services, applications, and devices can tale over 20%. They add significant demands on the battery, and any combination of them can affect battery life by 20 to 30 percent or more.

Anand aka HappyAndyK is an end-user Windows enthusiast, a Microsoft MVP in Windows Desktop Experience since 2007, and the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com & WinVistaClub.com.

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Keep Your Computer Cool and Quiet with Regular Cleanings [Video]

We've gone through how to evacuate PC dust bunnies before, but tech video blog NCIX shows us how to do it, step-by-step, through the magic of video.

The video isn't brand new, but removing dust bunnies from your computer is a timeless art, and if you've got an older computer that has gotten hotter, noisier, and less reliable over time, giving the insides a good cleaning could do a lot of good. It'll make your fan work quieter, more effectively, and spare some of your circuitry from shorts and overheating. All you need is a screwdriver and a can of compressed air. Check out the video to see how it's done, and hit the MakeUseOf link below for more tips on keeping your computer run cool and quiet.

PC Cleaning Tips / Removing Dustbunnies

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Speed Up Your Computer in 4 Steps [How to]

Lets get that computer tuned-up (if you have an Apple computer, you might want to read about speeding up your Mac with Onyx). In this writing, I will not be talking about computer repair or apple repair, but regular computer/laptop maintenance.

Performing these updates and running this software will keep your pc or apple computer clean, secure, and fast

Overview: First we delete unecessary and temporary files from your computer. Then we organize the data on the drive. Next we protect the computer from spyware and scan for malware. Finally, we wrap up with operating system optimizations, patch security holes, and update software and/or drivers.

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My computer Boots up quickly but takes time to Start?

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Many of us faced this problem that whenever we turn our computer on, it turns on quickly but takes time to get ready & let us work. Why does this happen?? Have you ever noticed the extreme bottom right corner of the desktop.


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My computer shows black screen very frequently??

There are many symptoms of this issue as in you may notice the following things
1)) Note is not booting up at all.2)) Light on the keyboard, power cable light, wireless light etc are glowing but nothing on the computer screen, its completely black.3)) The arrow "cursor" is there on the black screen & nothing else.
Whenver we face this kind of issue, suppose we are facing the issue when there is no light/LED glowing on the computer, check the power cables & make sure that there is no problem with the connections.
The step is to go for POWER DRAIN
The second step which should be followed to get rid off this issue is to go for HDD & RAM RESEAT.

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10 Reasons Why Computer Crash

Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow ‘!’ appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as ‘IRQ holder for PCI steering’. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly.If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer’s display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to ‘yes’ to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to



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How to Speed up the Computer

Startup, you can close all unwanted programs at the Windows startup and this will automatically increase the windows loading time and speed of the computer will also be increased.
3. Increase RAM: By increasing the RAM in your system you can get exceptional fast speed of your computer.
4. Disk Cleanup: By using the disk clean up utility Start

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Computer Troubleshooting Tips

Tips on how to recognize the problems can attack and destroy your computer. These troubleshooting tips are vital pieces of information that effectively resolve your computer problems.

There are several sites that are tips on how to repair computers. This page is one of those and the tips we have for you are simple, easy to follow, and proven.

Unknown number of computer users, most of the

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Doing Computer Repair Work for Businesses

When I first started my Computer Repair Business about 9 years ago, I focused my advertising towards residential areas. After some time, my residential clients started asking me to fix the computers at their own businesses or place of employment. I learned that is quite different to residential and they need to be treated differently. For example, a business generally values turn around time over cost; whereas a family with a few children will probably care more about price than turn around time.
Here is a list of some of the differences between doing work for businesses and residentials:

Speed of Repairs
As I mentioned before, businesses generally value turn around time more than the price. The reason for this is because businesses spend money to make money and by having a system out of action, it may be costing them more than what you are going to charge them. For example, the business may be paying the secretary $150 per day to be there but that may be wasted if they cant get on their computer. Also, by having that secretary out of action, the business may be slow to respond to customers which hurts the business even more and may cost thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Your $100 per hour fee may not be that expensive in their eyes if they can get the secretary working again and keep their customers happy.

Increasing Your Prices For Businesses
There are a few different schools of thought towards charging businesses more than residential clients. Some Computer Technicians believe that you should not punish your customers for having a business. Also, since commercial work is often harder and more time consuming so you will be making more anyway and therefor dont need to increase your prices.

However, other technicians will tell you that commercial work is on a whole different level than residential work (such a servers) and thus it requires a higher level of education that a technician needs to put time and money into. Therefor, the technician should charge more in the same way a doctor, dentist or lawyer would.

Some Computer Technicians say they only charge businesses more as a “priority fee”. The Technicians get out to businesses as soon as they can whereas residential clients get scheduled.

I am not going to say which way is right or wrong, its up to you to decide which feels best for you and your business.

Minimal Disruption and After Hours Support
As I outlined earlier, businesses can lose money when their systems are out of action so if you need to do work that isn’t urgent, its a good idea to offer after hours support (if you want to work those hours that is). This can be both onsite work or offsite remote support.

Insurance
If you are not insured now, you will definitely want to be before you start touching business machines. An honest mistake by you can cost your clients business thousands and they may come after you for damages. This is where having “errors and omissions” insurance can save your behind. “General Liability” insurance is also a good idea to have. You should speak to a local insurance broker to find out exactly what you need for your business and dont be afraid to shop around.

Be Cautious
You should always be on the side of caution when working on business machines, especially when data is concerned. Of course, you should be careful with residential computers as well but be extra careful with business machines because they can be mission critical to their business.

Also, dont be afraid to turn down work if it has the potential to turn ugly. About a year ago now, I went onsite to the base station courier company to do some preventative maintenance (cleaning and dust and such). This courier company had 4 servers tracking where their hundreds of trucks were, what they were carrying, where it needed to go all running from these servers on a custom Linux build. I had no problems cleaning out the 12 or so workstations but they then asked me to clean out the servers as well. In order for me to access the sides of them I would had to remove them from the rack and in order to remove them, I needed to power them down. I asked the client who manages these servers and they said they have another technician but he is currently in Cambodia. It was at that point I said I wouldn’t be cleaning out the servers. I didnt know enough about them should there be a problem bringing them back online. The guy who does know how to fix it is currently overseas and these servers are mission critical.
I could do the work and get paid for another hour if everything works our fine, or if it goes bad I would disable the company for an extended period of time. It just wasn’t worth the extra hours pay, the risk was just too high so I turned it down.

In conclusion, if you are going to work on business machines, focus on a fast turn around time, do what you can to minimize disruption, get insurance and always be very cautious.

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Repurposing an Old Computer for Any Room in the House [Computers]

Most of us have our computers on our desks or our laps, but there are so many other places in and out of our homes that can make a great spot for an old PC.

The smaller your PC the more places you can put it, so laptops are obvious choices for moving around to different parts of your home. We've posted before with suggestions for repurposing an old laptop so be sure to check those out as well.

Living Room

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