Showing posts with label Kenilworth Mobile Computer Repairs. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 September 2012

Choosing a Graphics Card

Compatible & Original Laptop Adapters From Computer Solutions

Replacement Laptop Screens From Computer Solutions

Replacement Laptop Keyboards From Computer Solutions

Choosing a Graphics Card

Kenilworth Computer Repairs Mobile Computer Maintenance, Repair, and I.T Desktop Support Services for Kenilworth, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby, Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Solihull and environs.

Graphics cards have come a long way in recent years. There are basically two types of graphics card or video hardware. These are the 'on board' video card and the 'add in' video card.

With the relentless push to provide ever more functionality at an ever cheaper price, manufacturers decided to incorporate a video card on the motherboard itself, although the long term reliability of these has been somewhat questionable on the cheaper motherboards in recent years.

For the average user who may just be surfing the Internet or doing a bit of Word Processing, a built in video card will suffice. Motherboards of this design use some of the main system memory as graphics memory.

The advantage of this design is that no extra memory chips are required on the motherboard thereby reducing the cost of manufacture.

The disadvantage of this design is that normal memory runs more slowly than dedicated greaphics memory, so don't expect blistering graphics performance from an onboard video card.

Generally speaking onboard video memory is usually user selectable via a jumper or BIOS setting in the range of 64Mb - 256Mb.

Power computer users, designers and hardened gaming addicts will almost always opt for one or more add on video cards and there really are a multitude to choose from. A graphics card can range from a few tens to several hundreds of pounds, depending on use

These days all video cards utilise the PCI Express bus connector, present on all modern motherboards. Motherboards now no longer have ISA, AGP or PCI sockets at all. The 'PCIe' video bus is the current de-facto standard for the connection of graphics cards and several motherbaords have two such sockets which can be used together with two graphics cards if desired.

Graphics processors and graphics memory has evolved at a much faster rate than normal memory. Each new generation of graphics memory doubles the data rate of the previous one. Currently we are on DDR5 for graphics memory speed, while normal system memory is at DDR3. The more graphics memory available to a system and the faster the graphics processor, the better results it will produce. This takes advantage of the growth in the gaming market and the ever increasing complexity in gaming software.

Nearly all add in video cards will feature a DVI socket and/or a VGA socket and/or an adapter for backward compatibility. Some of the higher end cards will also include High Definition HDMI sockets too.

Since Kenilworth Computer Repairs in Warwickshire are completely independent they can advise on what is best for you, depending on what you are planning to use your computer for.

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Kenilworth Computer Repairs News mobile PC repair service Kenilworth FoxPro or Visual FoxPro language Testimonials Stratford, Warwick Computer Repair Services computer repair service. Solihull Home Links Computer Services Rugby Operating Systems Areas covered P.C Maintenance Email Us Coventry Where are we? Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks Upgrade or New? Leamington Spa Tweet Hardware & Software Computer Repairs www.kenilworthcomputerrepairs.com

Thursday, 9 August 2012

Why Password Protection Is Important.

Password Protection

As you may or may not know Computer Solutions are often hired in to carry out expert work in the workshops of other local computer companies. We are always surprised at the number of laptops that arrive with absolutely no password protection whatsoever, as a case earlier this week demonstrated perfectly.

Computer Solutions were called out to the Mitchell Family in Claverdon, nr Warwick as the Son's father was concerned that his Son's new girlfriend seemed to somehow know everything about the Son's movements all of the time.

The father was worried that the Son's girlfriend may have put some sort of "keylogging" software, on the laptop and called us in to check. Keyloggers are small programs which record the keys that you press and store them in a file for retrieval later.

Quite often they are used in the creation of malware. If you did not know about them, you would not know they were no your machine.

We did ot find anything suspicious on the laptop but it was fairly obvious as too why it was very easy to track the Son's movements.

Firstly there was no password on the laptop at all and secondly the default user account was set as an "Administrator", giving anyone access to anything on the whole machine. It is surprising how many people set administrator accounts, without realizing the consequences of doing so.

In the majority of 'home user' cases there is no need to be an administrator all of the time. Of course there are times when 'administrator rights' are necessary but most of the time 'standard user rights' will suffice and it affords some protection.

The other problem with this laptop is that it was easy for this person to track the Son's movements as he had saved all his website logins in Firefox and Internet Explorer and more worryingly had used the same password on each one. This is probably the most common mistake.

Why not just store the different passwords in a cheap very low value mobile phone from eBay and keep it with you ? That way, being a cheap phone, it won't be much value to a thief but it will be of great value to you !

We managed to set a particularly difficult password on this laptop and advised accordingly.

We also set up a second account for the Son's partner so she would have no need to be logged into his account at all.

To change user account settings, click start, click control panel and click users or user accounts and follow the directions from there.

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Kenilworth Computer Repairs News mobile PC repair service Kenilworth FoxPro or Visual FoxPro language Testimonials Stratford,Warwick Computer Repair Services computer repair service.Solihull Home Links Computer Services Rugby Operating Systems Areas covered P.C Maintenance Email Us Coventry Where are we?Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks Upgrade or New?Leamington Spa Tweet Hardware & Software Computer Repairs www.kenilworthcomputerrepairs.com

Friday, 20 July 2012

Consumers Guide To Computer Memory

Antec Power Supplies From Computer Solutions

Corsair Power Supplies From Computer Solutions

A Consumers Guide To Buying Computer Memory What You Should Know.

What is Computer Memory / RAM ?

Computer memory is often the most overlooked part of a computer system. To little memory will create a huge bottleneck that will slow down everything from opening your favourite application to browsing the Internet. Computer memory or RAM (Random Access Memory) is used for short terms storage. It is different from hard drives and flash memory in that when the machine is rebooted everything in RAM is lost. Computer Solutions can supply and fit RAM for most makes of PC.

These days RAM is measured in Gb or Gigabytes. A Gigabyte is equal to 1024Mb or Megabytes. You should expect your new PC to have at least 2Gb memory and in some cases 4Gb as standard. 32 bit operating systems like Windows can only utilise up to 4Gb of memory.

However with the advent of the 64 bit versions of operating systems, up to 128Gb of RAM can be used. Some manufacturers are shipping their new systems with 6Gb and sometimes 8Gb of RAM as standard. It is therefore true that you can not have too much RAM memory.

What is DDR, DDR2 & DDR3 memory?

The term DDR stands for double data rate. This means that the memory is read twice on each refresh cycle in effect allowing the memory speed to be doubled. The current standard is DDR3 which means that we are currently on the 3rd generation of double data rate memory. DDR3 cannot be used with DDR2 or DDR. They will not phsically fit into the motherboard.

What about memory speed?

Memory speed is usually measured in MHz or Megahertz. Older memory will run at 400Mhz, 533MHz or 667MHz The newer DDR3 will operate up to about 1600MHz. The motherboard manual will indicate which type of memory the board can safely operate with. As a rule of thumb it is always best to have matched pairs of memory purchased together. You can in some cases mix and match two different memory speeds but the motherboard will detect this and run at the speed of the slower memory.

Most computer memory manufacturers like Micron, formerly called Crucial and Kingston memory have configurators on their websites to determine which memory should be used in your system. In out experience however these utilities often make mistakes and do not read the number of memory slots available correctly. While they are useful they cannot therefore be always relied upon.

Computer Solutions are happy to help with all you requirements and can help with your memory problems. We've been building computers for around 25 years.

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Buying A Wireless Modem Router - What You Should Know

What you should know before you buy a Wireless Router or Modem Router.

What is a wireless router / Modem Router ?

Simply put a wireless modem router is a device that decodes the signal on your telephone line or cable system and allows you to connect to your Internet servicesprovider for the purposes of using the Internet. It will also allow you to connect devices, laptops or desktop computers wired or wirelessly.

How do I know what is the best Modem / Router to buy ?

Wireless modem routers quote their speed as Mbps or Megabits per second. The older wireless models are usually quoted at 11 Mbps, also called 'Type B' modem routers or using the 802.11b standard. Mid-range routers use the 802.11g standard which is typically 54Mbps. Modern routers from 108Mbps up to 450Mbps are usually referred to as either 'n-lite' or 'group n' modem routers. The standard for this is called the 802.11n standard.

It can be very tempting to simply buy the modem with the biggest number slapped on the front, after all the bigger number means it's better doesn't it ? Well no actually it doesn't as all modem routers will not necesarily perform as quoted in a given environment. In practice the maximum quoted performance will almost NEVER EVER be achieved and so is the extra speed actually worth the additional cost. Even high speed modem routers are not able to speed up your internet connection as this is determined by your provider or the package that you are paying for.

At Computer Solutions we'll happily advise on which model is best for your particular requirements. If required we'll also carry out a site survey for you too.

Popular Models

There is an old saying that says that if a lot of people are buying a particular product, then it must be good. Top selling networking hardware tends to be current technology but not necessarily "cutting edge". Check out the sales figures of some popular modem routers when you begin to make your shortlist.

Warranties

Some well known brands like Netgear for example carry a lifetime warranty. This means that if it fails and you can provide a proof of purchase it will be replaced free of charge. We've tested the Netgear claim and are happy to report that yes it is true. In fact their replacement service is also very quick too !

However you will pay more for a router with such a warranty but then you get what you pay for.

Brand Matching with Network adapters

Sometimes it can be a good idea to purchase the same brand of router as at least one of your wireless network adapters. The overall benefit might be small but sometimes vendors will optimise communication protocols of their own equipment and you might see a slightly higher level of performance. Buying all of your network equipment from manufacturer can make sense.

Size and style

Most homes will have their router installed in a high visibility area. purchasing a router that looks stylish can enhance the decor ifthis is the case. Routers come in a plethora of different sizes, styles and shapes. If the router is going to be installed in the cupboard under the stairs or other confined space, make sure you pick one with a suitable form factor.

Cost & budget

Manufacturers sometimes offer inducements for you to buy their particular router, such as a free USB wireless network adapter. It is worth shopping around, even if a router is last year's model it probably will still have allthe features that you require and there are some good deals to be had. Computer Solutions will be happy to advise you in this respect.

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Do I Need An External Hard Drive ?

An external hard drive is really just a high-capacity storage medium.

If your PC or laptop computer’s hard drive gives up the ghost, you might not be able to retrieve any of the data that's stored on it. For this reason, it pays to keep a copy (known as a backup) of important files.

The simplest way to achieve this is to connect an external hard drive, which can then be used as additional storage. This can be used as somewhere to save copies of important files, or as a place to keep a mirror image of what’s on your computer’s internal hard drive. So you can restore your system in the event of a hard disk failure.

You may find you can back up everything that’s important to you without buying either backup software or an external hard drive. If you only have a few important files saved on your computer (eg digital photos), it would probably be easier to save them onto a Memory Stick or DVD.

How Much Capacity Should I Get ?

This all depends on what you do with your computer, and what you want to use the external drive for. It’s worth doing a bit of future-proofing; the capacity of hard drives is increasing and, even if you don't need that extra space now, you might find it invaluable in a couple of years.

A downloaded, full-length feature film takes up around 1.5GB. So should the future of TV and film-viewing lies with internet downloads, it certainly pays to go for a higher capacity drive. (As a general rule of thumb you should probably go for as much capacity as you can afford.)

The drive’s actual capacity won't quite match what it says on the box. This is due to how windows prepares the drive for use and can be up to as much as 10% smaller than stated.

Are They Hard To Set Up ?

External hard drives connect to your computer via a USB or network cable, and are usually pretty easy to install. Many of the drives are 'plug and play' which means that, once attached, your computer will recognise them automatically. Network drives will require you to install some software, in order for them to

work.

Why Is Speed important ?

If you have a large amount of data to copy, speed is going to be a factor. A faster drive means that you won't be twiddling your thumbs waiting for all your files to be transferred over.

Should I Buy A Standalone or Portable Drive ?

Portable hard drives are ideal for transporting data around and also for keeping important data separate from your computer (on another premises, say). However, you may find keeping a copy on a DVD a more practical (and cheaper) option.

Standalone drives sit beside your computer and are a better option for saving large amounts of data and also for making ongoing (incremental) backups.

How Do I Back Up To An External Drive ?

You can just treat your external hard drive just like your computer’s internal drive, so it just keeps a spare copy of your files, or you can keep a complete mirror image of your computer. In order to do the latter, you'll need to invest in backup software.

Some drives come with free backup software, which lets you schedule backups and save changes to files.

Generally you won't be able to store a complete mirror image from one computer to a different one, as they're likely to be set up differently. So a full system restore is of most use when you're restoring back to the same computer.

Don't Forget...

Using a backup drive with one of the new automatic "Click-Free" backup devices, will protect your data in the event of a catastrophic failure. These are clever devices that will automatically schedule your backups. Click Free devices are now compatible with Windows 7 too

Call us today on (01926) 511123 or (07803) 710440 for more information.

You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

www.facebook.com/KenilworthComputerRepairs

Twitter: @KenilworthComps

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

The Importance Of Regular Backups

Kenilworth Computer Repairs Mobile Computer Maintenance, Repair, and I.T Desktop Support Services for Kenilworth, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Rugby, Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Solihull and environs.

Crack Attack, the windscreen repair specialists, based in Leamington Spa, telephoned to say that he had lost data on his hard drive. We visited and found that as well as there being no effective backup strategy, the hard drive being used was somewhat elderly and in a rather poor condition.

The hard drive although recognised by Windows was being reported as unformatted and therefore Windows could not access it in the normal way. We brought the hard drive back to the workshop and found using our specialist tools found that data was present, but was not contained in the normal Windows partition area. This meant that in effect the data was in RAW format and was unusable by Windows.

After several hours Computer Solutions managed to recover data vital to the running of the business including Sage data, several Excel spreadsheets as well as many Outlook Express email folders.

Normally a hard drive with this degree of damage would have to be sent away to a specialist lab, often costing upwards of £600.00. In this instance however we were able to repair the data at a much lesser cost.

This article highlights the importance of having a regular backup procedure, whether using an external hard drive or one of the plethora of inexpensive backup services that are now available.

Don't get caught out losing your valuable data, photographs and memories. Contact the Computer Solutions data retrieval team - Crack Attack did !!!

Click here to download your FREE Windows 7 Boot Disks

Kenilworth Computer Repairs

Sunday, 30 September 2012