Archive for the ‘PC Support’ Category
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
We’ve talked about ways to speed up an aging computer. We’ve highlighted some quick and easy ways to troubleshoot a problem with your PC. What if there was a way to accomplish both of these things and get some added features without spending a dime? Driver updates could be the solution to a problem that you didn’t even know you had.
Here is an example. I have a 2 year old Dell laptop that I am working on currently. The owner was having an issue with their wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi). The connection would drop regularly on the laptop, while all other computers in the house continued to function properly, and the only viable solution was to run a cable from the router to the laptop, which was in a different section of the house. Not only is a cable like this expensive, but there was now this horrible eyesore running across the floors of 2 rooms and a hallway. Needless to say, the owner was not happy and wasn’t sure where to turn. After about 30 minutes of testing, restarting, changing settings and getting frustrated, I decided to check for a driver update. Bingo! Problem solved.
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Tags: acer, dell, driver, drivers, gateway, hp, Networking, solution, wireless
Posted in PC Support, Technical Issues, Tips and Tricks | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
JumpstartMyPC.com was created to help PC users get the most out of their computer and there are few products that have demonstrated this concept as much as avast! Free Antivirus. Since the first day the company was drawn out on a bar napkin (isn’t that how they all start) we envisioned a Tools page with avast! positioned firmly at the top. Today, that top spot just got a little brighter, as avast! has served up a shiny, fresh-off-the-production-line model, with version 5.0 of their amazing, FREE software.
Normally, I would prepare an article like this and hold on to it for a few days before posting it to our blog, but my faith in the makers of the avast! product (which they have earned without compensating me in any way) tells me that I can safely cover and promote this update. Why, because I have used the avast! product on countless computers, for myself and others, and have never had a complaint. The software has always been easy to install, easy to use and VERY effective. Of course, all of this could be said about other antivirus softwares, but those other applications are not FREE! How can you beat FREE and functional?
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Tags: anti-spyware, antvirus, avast, download.com, FREE antivirus, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Tips and Tricks, Viruses, Windows 7 | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Personal computers have been around since the 80’s and most of us have been using them for at least 10 to 15 years. You would think that, by now, operating systems and hardware would have evolved to the point where they were self-sufficient. Unfortunately we are not there yet. That’s just around the corner, along with flying cars that run on water. Until then, we must administer our own regular maintenance, which is something that we have written about many times here at JumpstartMyPC.com. One of the tools that we recommend for this regular maintenance is CCleaner (available on our Tools page).
“CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! 
” - taken from the CCleaner website.
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Tags: CCleaner, Freeware, Maintenance, Slow Computer, Temporary Files
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Tips and Tricks | No Comments »
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Hopefully the title says it all. Have you performed any routine maintenance on your PC lately? My guess is that the answer is no. Unfortunately, most people are never educated about regular PC maintenance and are doomed to follow the same destructive pattern that keeps PC manufacturers rolling around in money.
Buy a computer -> use it for a year or two -> have trouble -> repeat
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Tags: Auslogics Disk Defrag, CCleaner, defrag, defragmentation, Maintenance, Malware, registry, Spybot Search and Destroy, Spyware, Updates, Windows
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Protecting your computer from security threats, like viruses and malware, has long been a necessary evil for PC users. Threats are plentiful, and so are the costs associated with anti-virus programs and updates. Unfortunately, both seem to also be on the rise.
Most new computers come with a trial version of Norton or McAfee (anti-virus programs), which expires within the first year of use. For most users, the notification that the trial period is about to expire surfaces far too quickly and forces them into some quick decision making. Uneducated and uninformed, the average user feels they should continue to use these programs after the trial ends. There are two major problems with this mode of thinking:
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Tags: anti-malware, anti-spyware, anti-virus, avast, AVG, Comodo Personal Firewall, IOBit Security 360, McAfeem Symantec, Norton
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Viruses | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
We have stressed the importance of anti-virus protection for your PC since the first days of our blog. Even before there was a blog or a JumpstartMyPC.com I talked with friends and family about securing their computer via a program like avast! Now, I want to bring a new message to all of those who take the time to read our articles. “Know your anti-virus program and be careful what you click.”
Friday I got a call from a client whose computer was suffering from a virus attack and, of course, he needed his PC right away. I am not complaining or mocking him, as I know how important it is to have a functional, virus free computer at all times. I arrived on the scene to investigate and found one of the worst attacks I had ever seen. The computer could be powered up, but that was about it. A few seconds after booting up, the pop ups began. Window after window of warnings and seemingly helpful “virus removal” options filled the screen. The problem was, many of these “helpful” windows were actually the virus.
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Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Technical Issues, Viruses | 6 Comments »
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Before starting JumpstartMyPC.com I spent a lot of time working with computers just for fun. My addiction to technology and gadgets took me to sites where I found new and exciting ways to get the most out of my PC. One of my favorite finds was a site called LogMeIn.com. LogMeIn is a service that allows you to access other computers remotely, across a broadband connection. This is something that I was familiar with, through my job, but I was unaware that there were tools that would allow the average user to access computers remotely for FREE. That is exactly what I found in LogMeIn Free.
The idea behind LogMeIn Free is very simple and it is very easy to use. Installation requires a few minutes of setup and access to the computer you want to control remotely. When I first stumbled on this service I installed it on my laptop at home and then used my work computer to access and control that laptop from my office. This allowed me to use my free time at work for something productive and gave me on-the-go access to files and favorites that I had stored on my personal computer. I soon found myself using my lunch break to organize my iTunes library, clean up the hard drive, and perform basic maintenance on my personal computer from 27 miles away. But this got me to thinking “what else can I use this tool for?” I bet you are asking yourself a similar question like “why would I use or need this?”
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Tags: iTunes, LogMeIn Free, LogMein.com, Networking, Remote Access
Posted in Free Programs, PC Support, Technical Issues, Tips and Tricks | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Today’s article is more of a case study or lessons learned and a break from our normal article format. Why the switch? Well, a couple of days ago we asked our readers what problems they were running into or questions they needed answered and BOOM! a great issue was presented to us. Who knows, maybe some of you are experiencing similar issues and will benefit from the answer.
ISSUE: I received a call on Monday from a client who was having trouble with his 2 year old eMachine. The PC had Vista installed and had been running fine until his kids installed a new program. Instantly, the computer slowed to a crawl and the owner thought that the new program was to blame, so he uninstalled it. Suddenly, the computer quit playing sound of any kind.
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Posted in PC Support, Technical Issues, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Hello all. JumpstartMyPC.com was on vacation for a few days, but we are back and ready to tackle some great subjects. Over the last few months, we have covered a wide range of topics and we have gotten some valuable feedback and interactions from our readers. Our goal (as always) is to help our readers get the most out of their computers and we realize that we haven’t provided anyone a real chance to ask questions or make suggestions, so here we go.
Have you got a question, comment, suggestion or concern? Have you been struggling with a specific issue on your home computer over the last few days, weeks, months or even years? Are you getting tired of nagging issues that keep you from enjoying your computer, but you really don’t want to call a tech or take your computer to a repair shop? No matter what your question or issue, we want to help you resolve it. Most likely, there are others out there that would benefit from the same answer.
Here is your chance to have your questions answered. Simply post your question here as a comment and include your email address. We’ll provide an answer (in the form of one of our daily blogs) and email you when it is posted. The best part about it…. it is FREE! That’s right. We’ll give you the answers for FREE.
Posted in PC Support | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
This is a repost of an article that we originally ran back on September 5th. We just wanted to remind you that it is probably time for you to defrag your computer again and let you know that we have updated the link on our Tools page to the latest version of Auslogics Disk Defrag (3.1.0.65).
You got that new PC home and it worked so fast. Programs opened in the blink of an eye. Web pages loaded the instant you clicked on a link. Everything was just…. perfect. Then, several weeks or months went by and you started to notice a different behavior from your computer. It certainly wasn’t getting any faster. What happened?
There are a number of factors that could cause your PC’s ailing performance. When working on any PC, I tackle several key areas, including Disk Defragmentation. Performing this task, usually referred to as a “defrag”, is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get a performance boost from your old PC. But why?
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Posted in Free Programs, PC Support | 3 Comments »
