Home Computer Repair

Home Computer Support & Service New Jersey

Your home computer is just as important if not more so than your machine at work and in fact, with today's home and business computer networks merging the two might very well be the same computer. Secure networking is a must to protect your personal information and data against network threats, risks, and spyware.

Wireless Network Setup

Our fast growing coverage area allows us to completely service Central Jersey and the surrounding areas. We offer the same excellent business-grade performance to our residential customers that we provide to our professional clients. Our home computer service technicians provide guaranteed on-site service and support for your computer, peripherals and applications.

Install New Hardware/Software

Our consultants are Microsoft and/or A+ certified technicians with several years of experience supporting network servers, desktops, routers hubs, and switches in both small office and enterprise wide environments

Remove Viruses & Spyware

PC Cured has been a provider of computer support in the New Jersey for more than 10 years. Our technicians are all certified professionals and can help you with a complex task such as proxy-server or firewall configuration all the way down to virus removal.

Data Backup and Recovery

We offer non-destructive data recovery methods and will provide back-up data consulting for home or office machines. We know that proper data backup is an integral part of setting up any network. That's why when we provide data back-up consulting we target the information you need the most. Whether on DAT or Hard Disk, at work or at home we provide backup and recovery that is reliable and timely.

Onsite Computer Repair

We are located right in Central Jersey, our technicians are only a few hours away from helping you with your computer problem.

Let us help you reach your desired destination.

Source:-www.pccured.com

If you think home computer repair is hard or next to impossible then please read this article.

Ok, so you are almost certainly here reading this because you have, or believe you have a computer predicament, or maybe your home computer is just not performing normal. DO NOT do the flying experiment! Your computer cannot fly, and will by no means be able to fly, so do not test this theory out of your second story window! Simple home computer repair techniques I will explain to you will help; all while your bank account stays untouched(credit cards too)

So concerning this blog... I am going to be schooling you (not selling you) how to go from identifying that you have a home computer repair problem, all the way to fixing that same problem. The principle is to get your home computer functioning the way you want it to.

Along the journey you will learn I do own and control a home computer repair and services company, BUT in no way am I at this juncture to solicit their services. We only service a very little area in southeast Michigan. Be taught what you can here for free, so that you will not require any home computer repair gurus for help.

What not to do. Do not shell out for such programs like Norton Anti Virus, Mcafee Anti Virus, or any other over priced program. These programs expend more on advertising than on the quality of their product, and most will not assist you in your mission to get your home computer repaired. Also there are programs obtainable only by way of the internet which will not resolve any of your home computer repair problems and only make your bank account decrease.

Some programs are, Registry Repair, Registry Cleaner, Reg Mechanic, and Reg Cure. These programs will cause you a lot greater harm than benefit, and there are not a lot of ways to get help in the occasion you do not recognize how it works.

I have experimented with most of the programs in one way or more on my home computer. You can discover a lot of them when you do a very easy Google query for "home computer repair". I have thus far not found one program that works effectively for a broad variety of computer repair problems. There are a number of programs that function well for very precise list of home computer repair jobs, the problem then is in recognizing your individual issue, and can it be fixed without spending money; often the answer is yes!

In the occasion I do ever find a program that can resolve a lot of the normal home computer repair issues, I won't delay in endorsing the program and I will profit monetarily. You have been warned. I am human and this is what I love to do, if I can get paid for it, while staying honest, I will. Until then, on with the free home computer repair counsel and instruction...

Source: http://goo.gl/v0fcn

Cross-platform media player VLC is often referred to as the "Swiss Army knife of media applications" for good reason: Not only does VLC play nearly any file you throw at it (you even voted it the best desktop media player), but it can do so much more. From ripping DVDs to converting files to iPod-friendly formats, let's take a look at the four coolest things you can do with VLC and start you on your way to becoming a VLC ninja. Photo by R'eyes.

NOTE: Many of these VLC tricks use the same dialogs, so rather than repeat the same steps every time, I'll be doing a thorough step-by-step once and then highlighting only the differences in the subsequent mini-guides. I'm using Windows in most of my examples, but since VLC is cross-platform, most of the same tricks should work just as well on any platform. VLC has a Streaming and Transcoding Wizard that's supposed to make this process even easier, but it's been buggy for me in all my tests, so I decided to go with the slightly more difficult method detailed below.

Rip Any DVD

You may have thought that you needed some fancy DVD ripping tools to rip DVDs to your hard drive, but VLC can actually rip any DVD with ease. As reader joelena pointed out, since VLC plays the DVD in order to encode it, it can bypass any copy protection. Here's how it works:

1. Open the Disc and Find the Correct Title: Insert your DVD and open it with File -> Open Disc. We need to find the right title to rip from the DVD, so at this point we're going to preview titles from the disc one by one. To do this, start with 0 as your title number and increment one number at a time until you find the title you want to rip. I've found it's quicker if you choose DVD rather than DVD (menus) at the top of the Open dialog so you only have to wade through actual video.
2. Pick a Folder to Save the Rip and Name It: Now that you've find the right track, you just need to tell VLC that you want to save it. To do so, tick the Stream/Save checkbox, then click Settings. Here you need to tell VLC where to save the file, so tick the File checkbox and pick a folder to save it to and then give it a name (e.g., My DVD Rip.mpg).
3. Determine Video and Audio Settings: Now you're ready to tweak the final settings before it's time to rip. Tick the Video codec and Audio codec, then choose the output codecs you prefer. This is really up to you, and if you don't have a preference I've had good results using the defaults described in this excellent VLC rip guide: mp1v for the video codec and mp3 for audio. If you need a specific file format for a mobile device, you may want to choose a difference encapsulation method and codec. Hit OK when you're done.
4. Rip Away: You've made it. Just hit OK again (make sure Stream/Save is checked) and it should start ripping.

VLC will rip the DVD faster than real-time playback, and you can follow the ripping process in the corner of the VLC window.

Convert Any Video for Your iPod or iPhone with a Drag and Drop Batch Script

If you regularly convert files to a specific file format—say, for your iPod—you can set up a batch file with VLC that will make video conversions as easy as dragging and dropping the to-be-converted file onto the script.

Create a new text file and save it as VLC Converter.bat. Make sure your filesystem is showing file extensions so you aren't saving it as a text file (you don't want to end up with something like VLC Converter.bat.txt). You need to make sure it's saving with the BAT extension.

If you were building the script from scratch, at this point you'd open up the file you just created and paste "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" %1 in the first line. Now you need to get the command line options that describe how VLC should convert the file. For that, you can use the text generated by the Target textbox at the top of the Stream/Save Settings window described in steps two and three of the DVD ripping guide above, which displays the command line options you need for your batch file. Luckily a user at the iPod forums at iLounge already put together a VLC batch conversion script for iPods, so we can just use those settings, which look like this:

That's a lot of text, but it's just telling VLC everything you would normally tell it in the Settings dialog. The %1 variable will be replaced by the name of the file you drop on the script. Copy and paste all of that text (and only that text) into your batch file and save it. That's all there is to it. Next time you have a video file you want to convert for your iPod, just drag and drop it on your newly created batch script. The script was built specifically for converting videos to an iPod-compatible format, but you can build your own scripts to do virtually common conversions you want.

Stream Media to Other Remote Computer Repair

Now that you're using VLC to rip your DVDs, you've got gigabyte after gigabyte of your videos on your desktop. Rather than copying all of those files to any other remote computer repair you'd like to play them on, VLC allows you to stream video over your network or even over the internet.

First, go to File -> Open File. Browse to the file you'd like to stream, and then—like above—tick the Stream/Save checkbox and click Settings. This time, rather than outputting the stream as a file, we're going to tick the UDP box and enter the local IP address of the computer you'd like to stream to. On Windows, you can find your computer's local IP address by opening the command prompt (Win-R, type cmd, and hit Enter), and then type ipconfig and hit Enter.

Once you've got that, enter it in the computer you're streaming from in the text box next to the UDP checkbox you just enabled. Hit OK to accept your settings, then OK again to finish the setup. While you're still on the streaming remote computer repair, go to Settings -> Add Interface -> Web Interface.

Now it's time to start the stream on your other remote computer repair, and doing so is a breeze. Just open VLC on your second computer, go to File -> Open Network Stream, and—assuming the UDP choice is selected and the port matches the port you used in the setup above (unless you changed it, they should both default to 1234), just hit OK to start the stream.

You're presented with a slight problem streaming the video using VLC this way, namely that you can't control the playback from the remote VLC interface. Luckily you already enabled the web interface, so on the remote computer repair you're streaming to, open a web browser and point it to the VLC web interface. If you're streaming over a local network, find your streaming computer's IP address the same way you did with the remote computer's address above, then enter it into your browser with port 8080 appended to the end. Mine looks like http://192.168.1.2:8080. Through the web interface on the remote computer, you can control all of VLC's playback. Handy, huh?

Source : lifehacker.com/397573/master-your-digital-media-with-vlc

Microsoft has finally released Remote Computer Connection Client for Mac 2 after nearly a year in beta. It allows Mac users to, according to Microsoft, "easily connect to remote Windows computer."

Microsoft's website states, "With Remote Desktop Connection Client 2, you can quickly, simply and securely connect to Windows-based PCs to access Windows-based files, applications, devices, and networks from your Mac."

Features include:
• One Mac, unlimited Windows. New Multiple Session Support gives Mac users simultaneous access to multiple Windows-based PCs or to a network server that hosts remote computer repair applications and files. Since it works with Vista and is a Universal application, Remote Desktop Connection Client 2 is compatible with the latest technologies on Windows and Mac platforms.

• A more Mac-like experience. A redesigned user interface makes this application more customizable. Create your own keyboard shortcuts; and even access and change preferences during active sessions.

• Print everything off your Mac. Access and print from Windows applications to any printer that can be configured from your Intel- or PowerPC-based Macs.

• Get fast updates and easy help. Microsoft Error Reporting Tool and Microsoft AutoUpdate are included so you can anonymously submit data on software related issues and get software updates as soon as they are available. Remote Desktop Connection Client 2 also takes advantage of the new Helpviewer and improved help topics for quick access to fresh online product help from within the application.

• Reduce security breaches. Network Level Authentication (NLA) is a new authentication method in Windows Vista that offers security enhancements that can help to protect the remote computer repair from hackers and malicious software. It completes user authentication before you establish a full Remote Desktop Connection. Please see Windows Help for more details on network level authentication.

This free download runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs and supports eight languages: English, French, German, Italian, Swedish, Spanish, Dutch, and Japanese.

Source : macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/17731/

A Texas law passed in 2007 has remote computer repair shops statewide up in arms. Seemingly pressured by the Private Investigator lobby, lawmakers enacted House Bill 2833, which seems to require computer repair personnel to obtain a Private Investigator license before being allowed to work on customers' computers.

The relevant sections of the law in question

"A person acts as an investigations company for the purposes of this chapter if the person:
(1) engages in the business of obtaining or furnishing, or accepts employment to obtain or furnish, information related to:
[...]
(B) the identity, habits, business, occupation, knowledge, efficiency, loyalty, movement, location, affiliations, associations, transactions, acts, reputation, or character of a person;
[...]
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a)(1), obtaining or furnishing information includes information obtained or furnished through the review and analysis of, and the investigation into the content of, remote computer-based data not available to the public."

According to a lawsuit initiated by the newly-established Texas Chapter of the Institute for Justice, the Texas Private Security Board, a state agency, is interpreting this as including simple computer repairs such as malware removal.

The law provides for punishment of up to one year in jail and $4,000 in fines, and up to $10,000 in civil penalties. Additionally, any customer knowingly enlisting the help of an unlicensed computer repair person (that is, without a PI license) is subject to the same punishment.

Matt Miller, Texas Institute for Justice Executive Director and lead attorney on the case, notes that "it makes no sense to require a remote computer repairman with 10 or 20 years of experience to get a degree in criminal justice just to continue working in his occupation. This law will drive up the price of remote computer repair for everyone, and that’s exactly what the private investigations industry wants."

For many small computer repair shops, this law would mean having to shut down their business until they acquire a license. To get a PI license, one needs either a criminal justice degree (with all associated costs) or a three-year apprenticeship under a licensed PI. Neither are realistic options for most small computer repair shops.

While it remains to be seen how this law will be interpreted by the TPSB and the courts, it sure is reopening the discussion about whether or not remote computer repair workers should be certified, and how. Computer repair is one of only a handful of professions that do not need certification in order to operate a business.

Source : enterpriseitplanet.com/networking/news/article.php/3757406

Titus County officials aren't holding out hope for the return of a county laptop that was stolen last week after being left outside and unattended..

The laptop, belonging to Titus County Elections Administrator Leonard Rockwell, was stolen one week ago after Rockwell propped the device on the back of his pickup truck while he ran across the street to the Mount Pleasant Post Office.

His truck was parked in the election office's parking lot, located across the street from the post office.

"I was gone no more than five minutes to get stamps, and I came back and it was missing," Rockwell said. "I was getting ready to go out of town and I was in fast mode, trying to get a lot of things done at once."

Rockwell, who said he didn't have a bag to put the laptop in, improvised and balanced it on his truck's back bumper. He had planned to take the laptop with him to Austin to attend election training.

Rockwell stressed no voter-sensitive information was on the home computer repair when it was taken.

"We don't keep any voter registration information on the computer. That's all done through a database that's linked up to the Texas Secretary of State office," Rockwell said.

He noted a password is needed to access the database and that his was not saved to the computer. He's since gone in and changed his password and other private information to deter anyone from gaining access to documents and files.

Most of what was included on the laptop were copies of contracts signed with area entities to hold elections, figures relating to past voter turnout and sample letters to the U.S. Department of Justice.

"It's all things that are public information anyway, and were just easy to access there on the computer," Rockwell said.

A report was filed with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, but the laptop has yet to turn up.

"Even though all the pawn shops and authorities have been notified, it's probably history," said Titus County Judge Sam Russell, who admitted his main concern was if sensitive information was kept on the computer.

All area pawn shops and computer-related businesses have been notified.

"What they're probably going to do is try to pawn it," Rockwell said. "We've also notified all of the computer repair shops and those selling computer accessories. All they got was the laptop. Sooner or later the battery is going to go dead and they'll need some accessories."
http://www.foxriverantiques.com

Source : dailytribune.net/articles/2008/06/11/news/02.txt

A computer repair business in Georgetown Township that discovered child porn on a customer's PC is pushing for new state legislation to combat the problem.

Computer repair House Calls wants technicians to be required to report crimes against children after turning in a 52-year-old Grand Rapids man last year. Michael Robert Brown had asked for his machine to be repaired, but when child porn was spotted, the company notified police, although they didn’t have to do so. It was one of two such incidents it was involved in during 2007.

A bill has been introduced in the state Senate by Holland’s Wayne Kuipers, who will hold a hearing on the matter in Lansing this afternoon. If passed, it would require technicians with knowledge of child sexually abusive material to report their findings to police, although a specific search for such material would not be allowed.

Source : http://wkzonews.blogspot.com/2008/06/computer-repair-business-pushing.html

Q. The first time I used my laptop after a heavy storm, the home computer repair would not hold a dial tone when I tried to dial up to the Internet, and I still cannot get online with that computer. If this modem is fried, can I get an external modem for my laptop, or are there other options?

A. Computers and modems are vulnerable to power surges caused by lightning storms, as well as other power fluctuations caused by brownouts and blackouts. Most likely, your dial-up modem did take a hit during the storm. If you have checked the driver software and settings and the modem still will not connect, you probably need to repair the modem or replace it.

A computer repair shop should be able to open your laptop and make sure that the internal modem was the only thing damaged before repairing or replacing the part. An internal modem will probably cost less than $25, plus labor. You can also find internal modems for sale at Web sites specializing in laptop parts and have a technician install it if you don’t feel comfortable trying it yourself.

If you do not want to repair or replace the internal modem, there are external modems available for laptops. Most cost around $50, and you can find them in computer shops. These types of modems connect through the laptop’s U.S.B. port and provide a jack on the other end to connect the phone cord. The U.S. Robotics USR5637 modem is one such example.

If you have a cellphone, you might be able to use it as a modem; check with your wireless carrier for specifics.

In the future, using a surge protector with outlets for both electrical and phone cords might help protect your equipment, but shutting down and unplugging everything at the first sign of an electrical disturbance is your safest bet.

source : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/technology/personaltech/22askk-002.html?ref=personaltech

These days most of us have a computer or maybe two at home. But what do you do when they are broken?Companies tell you they can fix your broken computer and that they have got the experts. Over the last three months, KMBC's Kris Ketz and KMBC employees investigated.Armed with a hidden camera and microphone, KMBC took a computer to three major electronic stores to see what they would find. But first, Ketz took it to KMBC's own expert, computer repair tech supervisor Hank Palmer, and asked him to do something to the computer, something simple so it would not work.

"The only thing I did, I went into this bios, in set up and disabled the hard drive. It's one key stroke. That's something anybody should be able to look to make sure it's working," Palmer said.Ketz reported that Palmer disabled the hard drive bios, basically turned it off. Palmer said it is something any technician should find with a routine check."These things have built-in diagnostics, and that's one of the places you go in and test it," Palmer said.KMBC dropped off the computer at three different electronics stores -- Circuit City, Best Buy and MicroCenter. All of them have diagnostic fees just to look at the machine. They range from $60 to $70. KMBC paid, and after a few days, went back to see what they had found.The first stop was Circuit City."They said it would either need a hard drive to be restored or a new hard drive. It would be $129.99 for a restore. That's not including a hard drive," said an employee for Circuit City.A 160-gigabyte hard drive would add $99.99 to the bill.Then KMBC went to Best Buy."All it says here is, I guess, they couldn't do anything with it here. Probably means that it's a motherboard issue," said an employee of Best Buy.The employee told KMBC's investigative team that they could not fix it and that it would have to be shipped to IBM, and if it was a motherboard, it would be expensive. But since Best Buy could not be sure of the problem, they did refund a $59 diagnostic fee.The news from MicroCenter came by phone, Ketz reported."It's actually the part on the laptop that goes in and attaches to the motherboard that's bad. Also the hard drive is bad. To ship it out and get it fixed, it's a flat rate of $275," said an employee with MicroCenter.Add a $275 fee to the diagnosis fee.When asked who was able to fix it, Palmer said, "No one. No one fixed it."Just in case you are wondering how long it would take our technician to fix, we went back to Palmer and asked him to make the machine run again.We timed him at 71 seconds."See? That easy," Palmer said.KMBC contacted the three stores about our findings. A Best buy representative said it is their typical process to refund the diagnosis fee if they can't find the problem.MicroCenter said they can't do all repairs in-house, and if they have to outsource repairs, that company's fee is $275.Circuit City said they determined that a technician did not follow procedures and they were taking steps to respond.

source : http://www.kmbc.com/money/16352420/detail.html

Computers, I'm convinced, must be related to house cats. Just when you think that everything is purring along nicely, a computer can stick its claws right into your heart.

One moment, it's a computer; the next, it's a big paperweight. That shocking instant — when you hit the power switch and nothing happens — triggers a fine cloud of panic that turns even the most rational person into a wild-eyed fixing machine.

Today, while we are both calm, let's map out a game plan for that inevitable day. Stick this column in a desk drawer so it can help you calm down and avoid making things worse.

At the risk of sounding like a Zen master, first do nothing. Almost anything you do in the first moments is likely to be wrong. Calmly jot down any symptoms that occurred in the days before the computer died, as well as what you were doing at the time. You may find a clue there.

Now that you've had time to let the panic settle, check the most obvious causes. And, yes, that starts with checking to see that the power cord connections are sound. Then check to make sure that the surge protector or UPS is turned on and plugged in.

Some surge protectors and power strips can automatically switch off if electricity to your home is interrupted. Plug a small lamp or other AC device into the power outlet that you're using to make sure a circuit breaker hasn't popped.

Next look at the front panel of your computer. Are any lights on? If not, the power supply may have gone bad. It's an easy replacement — most large home computer repair stores offer them — but many will be leery of that repair. Those of you who are competent to do it probably know it and those who aren't know it, too (I hope).

But what if the front panel lights are on but the machine won't do anything? Let's turn it off and see what it can say for itself. Hit the power switch and restart.

Do you see an on-screen message when the computer restarts? For instance, if the hard disk has failed, you'll see a message. But that's not the only way that a computer can tell you its woes. Most use beeping sounds to alert you to problems. The meanings of these codes vary according to the kind of motherboard installed in the computer. Your manual will tell you the type of motherboard installed, or you can use another computer repair to check the manufacturer's Web site. Once you know the brand of motherboard, you can use this site to decipher the beeps:

Of course, the computer may be mute: No on-screen messages, no beeps. If so, try disconnecting any unneeded accessories — printers, scanners, etc. — and turn the machine on again. At times, a malfunctioning device will cause the problem and, if not, you can at least rule it out.

The next step is to open the case.

Some of you will be reluctant. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with packing up the computer and taking it to a repair shop at this point.

But if you proceed, take a look at the cables and connectors inside once you have the case open.

Are they firmly seated? Now — using the manual or just your knowledge — locate the processor chip. Most often, it will have a tiny fan connected for cooling. Is the fan turning?

Most computers will shut down if they overheat — a good thing. It's also a good idea to check the larger fan — usually at the rear of the computer — that cools the entire innards of the machine.

If there's nothing obviously wrong and the fans work, then try removing and reseating accessory cards.

source : http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/may/19/plan-for-inevitable-computer-problems/

(ARA) - When you're at work and experience a computer problem, you likely pick up the phone and call tech support. But what do you do if your home system crashes as you are working on a report due the next day; or worse, your teenage daughter is putting the finishing touches on a term paper?

Unless you have a family member or a good friend who is a computer expert, your PC problems may send you rushing out to a 24 hour office store where you will scramble to recreate your work; but there is a better solution. For peace of mind, spend just $99.99 on The Annual Support Plan at iYogi , the first direct to consumer computer support service, and the next time you need computer help, the problem will be fixed in no time.

iYogi has accomplished robust growth in a manageable fashion and outperformed the market over the previous years. The company has maintained 84 percent resolution rate and 93 percent customer satisfaction which are amongst the highest published benchmarks in the computer support industry.

The organization holds the critical mass of expertise required to cater tech-support requirements of today's computer enthusiasts. With its tech support services for small to medium sized business, the company is expanding its horizons to every business sector.

If you are thinking to turn your computer 'green', then also you can look up to iYogi technicians. Staying in step with the increasing craze for eco friendly or green PCs, iYogi has launched green computing solutions which primarily attempt at increasing economic potency of the product and adding to its energy efficiency.

iYogi's team of expert technicians can help you out with any type of computer issue you may experience at home -- from system crashes and network failures to computer repair, E-mail support, help fixing Windows errors, Microsoft help and more. If they can't talk you through the problem, iYogi technicians have the technology needed to log on to your computer and offer remote support. They can even complete an Online PC repair so you won't have to be stuck without a computer over the weekend or during a holiday.

With iYogi technicians, bid farewell to computer complexities forever and tune your precious PC for smarter performance. Click here to get the online technical support you need today.

source : http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/32469/