But why is a bad shutdown bad for your computer? When you properly shut down your computer, Windows needs to write information it has been working with in memory back to the hard drive so it can be stored permanently. There could be data you were working on in some program, or maybe even some changes to the Windows registry because of a program that was recently installed or removed, changes to system settings, or even an automatic Windows Update that hasn’t been completely installed pending a restart. So bypassing a proper shutdown can leave you with lost data, or worse yet, a corrupted Windows registry, damage to system files or a bad hard drive.

The problem with bad shutdowns is that it “seems” to be okay to perform because the computer just simply turns off. All is quiet, with no sparking or alarms. But think of how your drive is constructed, with a platter spinning between 5400 – 10,000 rpm’s and a very sensitive read/write head hovering over it. During a proper shutdown, it will complete any final read/writes and then the head will park itself in safe landing zone. But during a bad shutdown, the head might come in contact with the platter which could damage the head, the platter and your data.

Good News and Bad News, and Maybe Some More Good News

Fortunately, you can get away with some bad shutdowns, but not always, and sometimes not even once! And remember, it doesn’t matter if it happens intentionally, accidentally or by a power outage, although you may be able to make a claim with the power company for the cost of repairs if it was their fault.

Bad Shutdowns and Grinding Gears

For those of us old enough to remember manual transmissions on a car (you know … a 5 speed). Anyway, if you didn’t clutch properly, you could grind some gears. It was definitely noticeable, a bit embarrassing and probably made you cringe. I would say that whenever you perform a bad shutdown from now on, that you liken it to grinding gears on your car! Maybe that way, more people would take this problem seriously before they make it worse.

The questions I keep getting though is this: “Then what I am supposed to do if it keeps freezing, am I supposed to just leave it on?”

If you had to sacrifice your computer to send out 1 important message to save the world, then do what you got to do. But if you still expect the sun to rise tomorrow and you want to use your computer again, then you need to address why your computer is freezing in the first place. As for the “first” time your computer freezes, I would say that you have to risk a bad shutdown after the first time it freezes.  But playing with the power switch beyond that may be futile if you expect it to freeze again. If I were able to fix computers just by turning them on and off, over and over, I could hire monkeys to do that which would do wonders for my bottom line. The fact is, that you need to have it looked at by a pro. At least we offer a no-obligation free PC Checkup at our shop in Waipahu.

Recent Experience

I just had a customer pickup a computer I replaced a motherboard for. Although, it had onboard video built-into the motherboard, this computer primarily used an add-on AGP video card. I demonstrated that the computer worked fine when the customer picked it up as usual. But when the customer got home, she could not get it to display any video. This sometimes happens if they handle the case in a way that makes the memory get loose, but in this case, I distinctly remembered this system having 2 video cards, so I was sure she was just connecting to the wrong video card.

Instead of calling me, she tried to fix it herself. She said she went out and got another monitor, and when that didn’t work, she got yet another monitor. Meanwhile, she still didn’t think of calling me. Anyway, if you are on your toes with what I am writing about, how do you think she shut the computer down if she couldn’t see any video? Well, she finally called me and then came in person. It turns out that she was connecting to the wrong video card and she was just shutting off the power, in other words .. bad shutdowns. So how many did she do? She said only “3″ times. I took that like a drunk driver telling the policeman that he only had a couple of drinks. Let’s see, her first monitor, the 2nd and then the 3rd. That is a minimum of 3 times. Not many people are this persistent in getting monitors so I’ll bet she tried several times on each monitor. I’ll bet the real number of bad shutdowns was at least 10.

Now I performed a lot of work on this computer above and beyond just changing the motherboard. I’m worried now that when she gets home to try connecting to the correct video card, that her system might not boot up due to errors on the hard drive from all the bad shutdowns, and possibly even a bad hard drive. For whatever reason she didn’t call me at first is moot now, but chances are very good that she will call me right away if it won’t boot up. Anyway, similar variations of this scenario happen a few times a week and fortunately, most of them turn out okay. I should find out in a few hours what happens with this situation.

The Bottom Line

Call your friendly neighborhood computer guy before you try to fix a computer yourself, especially if you are still under a labor warranty. I might bite a little bit, but that’s just how I am. But if you get in over your head and void your warranty and cause more problems, I might not be in the mood to work double-time for single pay any more than you would for your boss, especially if is not my fault. I guess I did rant a bit, so I’ll include this in my Tech rants category.

• Some people expect the repair to only take a few minutes so they want to wait
• Many assume their computer may not be repairable
• Others assume that we are going to wipe out their data during the repair
• The list goes on …

Anyway, we offer a Free PC Checkup when you walk into our shop in Waipahu. The initial checkup is non-invasive, but we can usually inform you about what is wrong, how bad your problem is, a reasonable accurate quote to repair it, and whether it is economical to repair or replace your computer … while you wait!

But occasionally, some people have multiple computer problems such as bad hardware and software that requires an invasive diagnostic to find out what all needs to be done. But our past experience usually serves us well and we can at least provide you with a “worst case” quote which is sometimes acceptable enough to the customer to go forward.

The Bottom Line: Do You Want It Good, Cheap or Fast?

The bottom line most people want to know about getting their computer repaired is how much and how fast? Anyway, the value of time and money means different things to different people. But since our time and skills enters into the equation, I have to ask if you want it done “Good, Cheap or Fast? (pick any two)”.

Good

The quality of our work is top-notch. Sure, anybody can say that, but I can prove it. You show me a computer that someone else just fixed, and I will show you what they missed. Most techs, do work that is usually “good enough”. Ironically, they themselves probably don’t know any better, and you may be led to believe it to be “superior” work. Computers are electronic devices and most computer technicians are not electronic technicians. I have been an electronic technician since 1980 and have seen first hand what the difference is.

Fast

This is a very relative term. For the average computer repair, our normal turn-around time is 2 – 3 business days in-shop. But if you have been putting off repairs for some time and your computer is really jacked-up, it may take longer. But occasionally, if you bring in your computer asap after the first signs of a problem, we can sometimes get it back to you the next day if you check it in early enough the day before.

Cheap

Our rates are in the upper-middle of the pack, but our rates include work that normally doesn’t get done by the other guys, work that enhances the performance and security of your computer. For many repairs, doing it right may not be cheap, but hopefully by now, you know that comparing one shop’s repair rate to another’s is like comparing apples to oranges. If you go too cheap, you will probably pay more in the long run.

My Own “I Need It Fast and Cheap” Story

We always prefer to do a good job as fast as we can, but this isn’t always the best or cheapest route and depends on your immediate needs. I’ll tell you a true quick story to make my point.

I slammed into the rear of a pickup truck after a ski trip at Mammoth in ’89, and I still have my ski-lift pass to remind me. Anyway, it snowed hard that day and we had to dig my car out of the snow before we could hit the road. I had snow cables on and was going slow. But just after leaving the parking lot, I had to go down a slight hill where a pick-up truck was stopped in front of me at the bottom of the hill. Once I started to slide on the snow covered ice, I knew I was going to rear-end him and honked my horn, but the truck didn’t move. No one was hurt, and I barely dinged his rear bumper, but my Honda was no longer drivable. It was Sunday, I had to work the next day and we had a 10 hour drive ahead of us. We definitely did not want to hang around for a week or so to get it repaired there, or worse, pay to have it towed 400 miles away. Anyway, all I hoped for was a quick fix that would allow us to limp home. Luckily, a local gas station got it drivable for under a hundred bucks! I still had a cracked windshield, a tweaked hood that had to be tied down, 1 headlight, and no power steering, but it drove fine otherwise. The person I hit even stayed with us and escorted us to the highway. As it was, we got home safely, got to work on time, and my insurance took care of the rest. Beth, if your reading this, I haven’t forgotten.

Do You Want it Fast and Cheap Also?

Anyway, I needed a quick-fix, one that was fast and cheap. It sure wasn’t a good fix, but I knew I wasn’t paying for a good fix. Fortunately, the “good” fix was paid for by my insurance, but it sure wasn’t fast. For computers, most people do want a “good” fix, but you’ll have to decide if you want it fast or cheap. But now and then, there are some that just want it fixed good enough so they can limp by and finish some project, after which they plan on buying a new computer. They would rather not have to put any more money into an old or slowly dying computer than they have to.

Whatever it is you need, just remember:

• Good Service Cheap won’t be Fast
• Good Service Fast won’t be Cheap
• Fast Service Cheap won’t be Good

Anyway, here at Gakidoo’s, we always prefer to perform “good repairs”, at a competitive price and reasonable turn-around time. In the end, I think you’ll appreciate what you paid for and will be happy for having a computer back that you can rely on again.

Most viruses are limited to spreading itself by either being transmitted or sent by an unwitting user or carried on a USB Drive or Disk from one system to another. But if a virus gets embedded somewhere on a network drive then anyone who opens or clicks on the infected file can end up getting infected as well.

Depending on your security software … or lack of, a virus infection can go undetected for several days to several weeks, and even indefinitely if you have expired, corrupted or no protection at all. But there are usually telltale signs that should make you suspicious of an infection if your computer has become very slow for no good reason, if your internet browser home page was changed, or it keeps automatically redirecting to some other webpage, otherwise known as a hijacked browser. If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, your computer is probably infected with a virus.

Aside from a “true” Virus infection, which accounts for only about 3% of all Malware infections, most computers are actually infested with a variety of other forms of Malware such as Trojans, Rootkits, Worms, Spyware, Adware, and Browser Helper Objects (BHOs). But the most common type of Malware infection these days are the Fake Alerts Programs, such as a Fake Antivirus Program. Sometimes, Viruses are used to spread these Fake Alert programs in the Virus payload.

Typical Symptoms of a Virus Infection

• Slow computer performance
• Windows randomly freezes
• Hijacked Internet Browser
• Randomly appearing popup windows, especially while surfing the internet
• Fake Alerts, when some program alerts you that your system has numerous Windows and registry errors or a variety of infections, and even redirects you to a website that prompts you to purchase their software to remove the infections.

Can I Fix It Myself?

The solution varies on a case-by-case basis depending on your operating system, severity of the infection, what security software you already have installed, whether it is updated or not, if the internet still works, and on-and-on. If you have several of these things going for you in your favor, you may be able to try and fix it yourself, otherwise you might want to save the trouble and chance of making it worse by having it professionally repaired.

From my experience, I can tell you that most people will choose the least expensive approach, whether or not they have any training or tools to do the job. They figure that they can Google for some freeware program and fix it themselves for free. Just beware that there are plenty of malicious links that may show up in your search results that may promote products claiming it can fix your problem, but in reality may just infect your computer further.

Also, many of the techniques PC Technicians use to clean computers involve much more than just running scans with some program. Many of these techniques require an advanced knowledge of Windows and its built-in utilities such as the Registry.

Rather than trying to repair your system with one of the free basic antivirus programs out there, I suggest you at least download and install a free trial version of a top-tier antivirus program such as an ESET Nod32 or Smart Security. That will at least buy you some time before you decide if you want to ultimately go with the freeware method. Then I would follow-up with a good antispyware program such as SUPERAntiSpyware or MalwareBytes.

Prevention

For detailed information about Virus and Spyware Prevention, visit our sister website below.

http://spywarepreventionguy.com

Note: Some infections create registry entries that may prevent you from installing any antivirus or antispyware software from known vendors, and may even render the one you already have unusable. If your computer system is infected with unwanted Viruses, Spyware, Trojan Horse, Malware, Worm, Rootkit, Keylogger or Adware, and you would like to have one of our Virus Removal Specialists from Gakidoo’s Computer Repair to clean and optimize your computer, please give us a call at the number below.

Call (808) 676-1900

I can’t believe it. Especially when people calling around for a computer repair are obviously looking for the best deal, or some kind of special discount for being a student, military, or a senior. It doesn’t get any better than FREE! And don’t forget that you can enter every week.

Good News!

I won’t be doing this all the time, but I am going to roll over last week’s Free Computer Repair so we will be awarding “2” Free Computer Repairs next week on Monday, 31Oct2011. The current entry time frame is from 24 – 30 Oct2011.

Visit http://freecomputerrepairhawaii.com for details. We’ll see how next week goes. And if you don’t need a computer repair yourself, share this info with a friend who does.

If you want to skip the chance of a FREE Computer Repair and prefer to pay for it, call us at:

676-1900

For more information, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

Today I got a call for a data backup job on a laptop. I asked a few questions about the health of the computer and he would only say that his laptop was a 2006 model and he already pulled the hard drive and just needed his data backed-up. I explained that if the drive was still accessible, that I could do it for our fixed-flat rate of $69.99, but if the drive was corrupt, that it would cost more and the job would be classified as a “data recovery” instead of a data backup. He said the drive was OK. Anyway, I was expecting him to bring a hard drive like the one in the picture below.

Laptop Sata Hard Drive

He finally showed up and laid down an empty portable hard drive enclosure that was taken apart, and a mini-pci card I believe was a modem. Whatever it was, he must have peeled off the protective covering with the label and there was all this adhesive stuff left behind, it wasn’t pretty. Anyway, he couldn’t figure out how to mate the mini-pci card connector with the sata connector in the hard drive enclosure. Do you see what is wrong with this picture yet?

He told me that the little circuit card in his hand (the mini-pci card) was the hard drive! I think you can see the difference from the pictures on this page. For just a split second, I entertained the thought that it might be the insides of a solid-state hard drive, but no way, not for a 2006 computer, and there weren’t enough IC chips on it anyway. I told him that what he had there was probably the modem (which almost nobody uses anyway) and then I showed him what a laptop sata hard drive looked like and how easily it mated with the connector on his portable hard drive enclosure. Now things were starting to make sense.

Mini-PCI Modem with plastic covering

Now that the parts identification lesson was over, I just said to bring the entire laptop in and I will take care of it. I asked again what was wrong with the laptop and then he said it fell off the counter while it was turned on. I explained how that would most likely damage his hard drive. He went on to say that the computer turned-on still but would not boot to Windows, which I explained was probably due to errors on the hard drive from when it fell. So now, I explained that the hard drive may be bad, and that your data might be at risk and this job might not be just a data backup after all.

If you don’t want to ever worry about data loss again, then you owe it to yourself to keep your data backed-up. Its actually quite easy to do and costs only a fraction of what a data recovery will cost you.

Getting Back to The Story

So rather than spending anymore time by theorizing about the part mixup and the chances of getting any data back, I just said to bring me the entire laptop tomorrow and I will see what we are up against. What a scenario! Actually, varying degrees of this type of situation happen pretty often. I admit I get snippy sometimes, but am I supposed to get used to customers contradicting themselves and wasting both our  time? If he actually comes back, he will have to wade through traffic again for round 2. Anyway, I suppose he took this stuff apart to try and do it himself and got in over his head as I mentioned earlier. But I would say to “Save Yourself a Headache” and just see us first.

We do a Free PC Checkup anyway, and while that may not always equate to a full-invasive-diagnostic, it is usually enough to give you a reasonably accurate quote to do the job. All it costs is your time to stop by and there is no obligation. But if you choose to go forward with the service, you will have seen with your own eyes what is actually going on.

For a professional opinion about your computer, Call 676-1900