Computer FAQs | Mobile FAQs | Laptop Faqs

Why do I keep getting infected with viruses?

Unfortunately, there is no single product that will catch every new virus. People can write malware more quickly than anti-malware tools can be updated. However, there are precautions that you can take.

Don’t accept a process without understanding the prompt. You may get a message from the Internet claiming that your computer is infected by a virus with an offer to fix it. Unless it’s a trusted source, don’t do it!
Don’t use a friend’s USB stick or CD without scanning it first.
Don’t open an e-mail attachment unless you are expecting it. Sometimes a virus is attached to an email from a friend or another trusted source, but they are totally unaware. If you aren’t expecting an email attachment, don’t open it until you verify with the sender that it is safe.
Keep your computer updates current. Make sure you have the latest version of your computer updates. Many of these updates are there for your system’s security.
Don’t use software, music, or movies unlawfully. If you participate in pirating copyrighted material, your computer is at risk because sometimes viruses travel attached to the stolen files.
Protect your computer with antivirus spyware scanner. Having some form of reliable antivirus and spyware protection is critical, especially for Microsoft Windows.

Can a Mac computer get a virus?

The short answer is “yes.” However, it’s less likely for a Mac computer to experience viruses than a Microsoft Windows computer. However, since Macs are gaining popularity, viruses are becoming more common. Also, if you install any software, plug-ins, or other add-ons that are connected to the Internet, you may become vulnerable to viruses. The most common ways that viruses attack a Mac computer is through a third-party browser and browser plugins like Adobe Reader, Flash, and Java. Some of the current anti-virus programs that work on Mac are: Comodo, ESET NOD32, Kaspersky, McAfee, Network Associates, RAV, Sophos, and Symantec (Norton). Please call HB Computers for more information!

Is there a way to make my computer run faster?

If you install a solid state drive (SDD), your computer will run almost four to five times faster. Here are 8 other ways that you can increase your computer’s speed:

Uninstall programs that you are not using
Delete temporary files
Increase your hard drive storing capability
Disable unnecessary start-ups
Increase your computer’s random access memory (RAM)
Change the power plan of your desktop computer to “High Performance”
Run a disk clean-up
Update your browser

Please feel free to call HB Computers to help you increase your computer’s performance!

What can I do if my computer freezes up?

First wait a minute or two. Sometimes your computer may seem to freeze, but it is simply processing a complex task. You can also press Ctrl + Alt + Del to open the Windows Task Manager. Then highlight the program that is not responding and select “End Task.” This should unfreeze the computer. If it is still frozen, you may need to reboot your computer by pressing and holding down the power button until it shuts off. Then reboot. If you are working on a document when your computer freezes, the program you are using may have an AutoSave feature, and you can most likely recover a recent version of the document after rebooting. If none of this works, please don’t hesitate to call HB Computers for advice.

How can I prevent spam in my emails?

You won’t be able to prevent all spam, but here are a few practices that may help.

Try not to post your email address in chat rooms, news groups or other public venues.
Don’t purchase products or services that come from companies that solicit you in an email.
If you receive an email from an individual or company you do not know, delete it.
When you fill out a form on the Internet, see if there is a “check box” that is checked by default for you to receive a newsletter or other information.
Consider using a more complicated user name.
Don’t participate in chain emails.
Only click links and open attachments from trusted senders.
Check the spelling of the email. Spam often contains misspellings, oddly-worded phrases, and gibberish.
If you get a great deal of spam from a specific source, get in touch with your Internet service provider and complain. They don’t like spam either. Once they are alerted, they can filter out mail from a suspected spammer address.
Many email programs allow you to set up rules to filter out emails or you can install a “spam filter.”

How do I fix the Windows blue screen errors?

Since there are several reasons for Windows blue screen errors (BSoD), you’ll first need to identify what kind of error it is before trying to fix it.

Note: If your computer immediately reboots without your being able to read the text in the blue screen, follow the steps below. If you’re unable to access Windows to perform the steps below, boot the computer into Safe Mode.

From the Desktop or in the Windows Start menu, right-click on My Computer or Computer.
Click the Properties option.
In the System Properties window, click the “Advanced” tab or the “Advanced System Settings” link.
On the Advanced tab, click the Settings option in the Startup and Recovery section.
In the Startup and Recovery window, uncheck the “Automatically Restart” check box.
Click “Ok.”

Blue Screen Errors: Windows XP, Vista, and later versions of Windows have a blue screen error that’s similar to the example shown below. These error messages often contain more detailed information. If you’re not getting a blue screen error that looks like the example below, skip to the next “Fatal Exceptions” section.

Note: If you are getting a solid blue screen with no white text, you are not encountering a BSoD. It’s likely a problem with your video card, monitor, or other hardware. Follow the “No Display” on monitor troubleshooting steps to diagnose this problem. Otherwise, follow the directions below:

Identify the blue screen by locating a line containing all capital letters with underscores instead of spaces, such as the above example, BAD_POOL_HEADER. Write this information down. If you do not see anything written in all caps with underscores like this, skip this step.
Get either the STOP: error message at the top of the error, or in the “Technical Information” portion of the error. For example, in the above error it’s STOP: 0x00000019 … write the first portion of this error message down.
Finally, if technical information is shown, write down the file and the address.

Once you have the above information, you can start troubleshooting the issue. Below are common blue screen errors and links to pages that contain the troubleshooting steps for some of these errors. If your error is not listed in the below section, search for the error you wrote down.

BAD_POOL_HEADER
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
STATUS_IMAGE_CHECKSUM_MISMATCH
THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP
UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR

Fatal Exceptions: Many of the blue screen error messages you’ll encounter with earlier versions of Windows will be “fatal exception error messages” or “Fatal 0E messages.” If your blue screen message begins with “A fatal exception 0E” or “An exception,” you are encountering this error. For these blue screen errors, follow the “fatal exception error” troubleshooting steps.

Can I remotely access my DVD-ROM or my External HDD on one of my home computers?

Yes! You absolutely can.

Can I connect remotely to my office PC from home so that I can do some overdue jobs?

Yes – as long as you have a static or semi static IP address from your ISP.

Do, I need an Antivirus software to run on my computer?

You can run anti-virus software in the background, but by doing, so you risk aging your HDD. The fact is that most antivirus software cannot completely protect your data. The most important antivirus measure is your vigilance.

How can I protect my data?

You can do many things to protect your data. One way is to add a second HDD and run both with mirroring. By doing this, you will protect yourself from hardware failure (although you will not be protected by viruses, software-induced corruption or self-harm). To be completely protected, you will need to conduct Daily Automatic Backups. It’s not difficult. Simply ask one of the HB Computer staff members for assistance.

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