I am offering my not so newbish skills for free for a few members of cmzc. Of course I can't do everyone's computer but I'm looking at doing maybe 5 depending on what you guys need, there are a couple loopholes here. 1. you must post a short quick review of your experience and 2 how your computer works now and after I returned it to you. also it would be nice if you recommended me to people you know. You will have to bring the computer to me. My turn around time is usually a day or two.

PM me with your info

computer make and model:
RAM: (if known)
Hard drive size:
current Operating system:
what service you need or what is wrong with the computer. I will then PM you back with what I believe is best for your computer.

Thank you and have a nice day

I probably should have included more details. so here goes.

If you have an older computer that you have locked away because it is too slow or out of memory I can do a re install of windows and bring it back to factory settings. it will be like you just bought it from the store.

do you open a website and suddenly links start popping up everywhere, taking you to bad websites? does your computer sometimes have a mind of its own? this is usually because of viruses, malware, Trojans, rouge antiviruses, or crappy antivirus. I can remove 100% of these which will make a noticeable speed up of your pc.

do you need an antivirus that works? eset nod32 is the best in the world and will protect you from anything. its the chuck Norris of antivirus. norton, avg, mcfee completely suck. they will not protect you from dangerous viruses only weak ones that just annoy you.

missing drivers? do you have a memory card reader built into your computer and now it doesn't work? drivers help communicate with hardware and software. sometimes these will get corrupt or stop working. I will get your hardware working again if it needs drivers. drivers are the usual problem to no audio, bad video playback, cd/dvd drives not reading. or usb ports not recognizing media. Also wifi and ethernet ports.

these are the operating systems I have

xp pro sp2 (when you update with windows update it will bring you to sp3)
vista ultimate sp2
windows 7

linux:
ubuntu
kubuntu
xubuntu
macpup

here are some basic info on systems and what I recommend (depending on the RAM you have.
256mb? linux, it is small and simple. great for interwebs and kids
512mb? xp / linux you "can" run vista and 7 but it will be kinda slow and get slow over time.
1gb? xp / linux / vista / 7

I would only classify Vista in the 1GB category, not 512MB, and put 7 in the 2GB category. You will only truly be able to run these with less RAM if you have settings like Aero disabled and use the classic windows theme, in which case you might as well be using XP because of it's minimal system resources.
Also, you might want to look into a volume license key, or contact M$ about the proper way to go about doing something like this.

Also don't forget that it's not just RAM that will play a factor in whether or not you can run something like Windows 7. You could have an old computer with 1GB of DDR ram and a Celeron processor, which will run 7 quite differently than something like 1GB of DDR2 and a low end Core 2 Duo.

Learjet45 wrote:I would only classify Vista in the 1GB category, not 512MB, and put 7 in the 2GB category. You will only truly be able to run these with less RAM if you have settings like Aero disabled and use the classic windows theme, in which case you might as well be using XP because of it's minimal system resources.
Also, you might want to look into a volume license key, or contact M$ about the proper way to go about doing something like this.

Also don't forget that it's not just RAM that will play a factor in whether or not you can run something like Windows 7. You could have an old computer with 1GB of DDR ram and a Celeron processor, which will run 7 quite differently than something like 1GB of DDR2 and a low end Core 2 Duo.

- 7 is more memory efficient than Vista. Both should have 2GB at a minimum (MS specs less, but it's not realistic) 4-8GB is preferable. RAM is a fast, inexpensive, (profitable!!) way to speed up system that doesn't have enough.
- OEM and Upgrade versions of the OSs are the least expensive way to go if you're changing the OS. If you're re-installing the same OS, re-use the license code on the sticker attached to the PC.
- Learn to slipstream (nLite, vLite) service packs and updates onto your install media, saves a bunch of time running updates. Keep .ISOs of your install media that you made, so you can make new install disks when you accidentally leave one in a drive (and don't use your originals for installs, keep them pristine in case you need to rip another .ISO at some point)
- If you're considering putting 7 on an XP PC, Run the Upgrade Advisor to check compatibility http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor
- Learn to image clients' drives for a safety net prior to making any changes- we keep images at least 3 months. They are handy when a client calls 2 weeks after a reload asking for files stored in an obscure spot.
- Learn the hidden locations for things like browser profiles and email client data files so you can restore them along with the usual data after a reload.
- Develop a process that you do EVERY TIME you start to work with a PC.
Bonus points for anyone that can name even half of our checklist.
Quadruple bonus points for anyone that can name the first item on the list.

jamiel wrote:Quadruple bonus points for anyone that can name the first item on the list.

Msconfig, shut off all startup items.

erod550 wrote:Msconfig, shut off all startup items.

I did that once. F-ed up everything:lol:

erod550 wrote:Msconfig, shut off all startup items.

mind as well format C. Lots of bad stuff gets stored there.

You just uncheck them. You can always recheck them. And I'm not talking about services. Just the stuff on the startup tab. Nothing critical goes in there.

Was the very first troubleshooting step we did when I was doing tech support for Gateway. "My computer is giving me this weird error message when I start it up." Uncheck everything in Startup, reboot, no error message? Ok, recheck the ones I know are Gateway software, still no error? Looks like something you installed is causing the error. Let me transfer you to our pay support because you screwed up your computer.

jamiel wrote:Quadruple bonus points for anyone that can name the first item on the list.

Copy all the porn (and/or "personal" photos/videos) off the client's computer and add them to your own collection.

erod550 wrote:Msconfig, shut off all startup items.

Good try, but that's a troubleshooting step for later to address specific issues, not a general "do this every time to every machine you see" step.

Another hint- a good mechanic also does this step.


"format C:"


Another one- what are the questions to ask to isolate a problem?

P.S. Alex- sorry for the threadjack. I'll stop if you like. Hopefully this is helpful though.

Take it for a test drive?

erod550 wrote:Take it for a test drive?

nice

jamiel wrote:Good try, but that's a troubleshooting step for later to address specific issues, not a general "do this every time to every machine you see" step.

Another hint- a good mechanic also does this step.


"format C:"


Another one- what are the questions to ask to isolate a problem?

P.S. Alex- sorry for the threadjack. I'll stop if you like. Hopefully this is helpful though.

It's no problem, You have posted some very use full information.

I have 2 laptops, that have crapped out on me. One I think has a bad mobo, that I may need to swap out. The other has a bad power button. Are you keen with working laptop hardware?