Aberdeen Computer Repair Blog

Great place to get your laptop screens fixed...

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Been developing a website for UK Laptop Repair Services. One of those services in Laptop Screen Repair.

Every other day I get customers coming to me with cracked and broken laptop screens. Usually becuase they've dropped thier computer or something similar. Anyway I thought - what the heck make a national site for laptop screen repairs - it's got to work ;)

Power Jacks on laptops

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:10:00 +0000

Are hard to fix when broken! I remember the first laptop that was handed to me with a power jack that had broken off inside the laptop. I took the whole laptop apart and got out my soldering iron.

Do not try this at home! After about 2 hours i finally got the jack of and managed to solder a new power jack on. Well the easier option is to give laptop repair birmingham a call. These guys have dedicated tools for de-soldering laptop power jacks and not just a solder iron. They've got the right kit and knowledge this means you'll not have any damaged compnents on your mainoard by getting an ametur to desolder the power jack.

Over and out.

Laptop Repair in Birmingham

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:15:00 +0000

We are now designing a website for laptop repair companies in birmingham. We look forward to promoting the site on varoius IT blogs and getting the customers that have laptop repair issues in Birmingham in touch with a specialist. So if you repair laptops Birmingham area and are looking for a top ranked website in google call AB1 Computers.

Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:58:00 +0000

New broadband supplier recommendation.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Just changed broadband supplier. I was with ADSL24 who offered very good service for over a year but latley the download speed started to decrease. Best place to search for good suppliers is thinkbroadband.com. There are always users on the forum moaning about thier current supplier and helpful posts on who are good suppliers.

I chose to go with a company called UK Online. They also manage sky broadband however they are an extra £10-£15 / month. Usually I look for the cheapest however I'm so relient on broadband it's not always about price. Quality matters to.

UK Online have ADSL2 in Aberdeen so I now have a 11meg connection to the local BT exchange and my average download speed is 9.5meg!!!! That is fast. I can download a DVD in 1 hour (4gb) or a divx movie in 10 minutes!!!

UK Online also offer a referal scheme, if you state that you were refered by a friend and supply thier UK Online email address both you and the friend get a free month worth of broadband from them. Here is my UK Online email address...
smillar0@ukonline.co.uk

You will not be disapointed with thier service.

Website ane email problems

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:22:00 +0000

Just a quick note to say there are a few issues with my website this week. Changed broadband provider and have had to move my website. Email is now up and running however images are not being displayed on this blog at the moment. Will get this fixed as soon as I get a chance!

Virus Removal Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:24:00 +0000

The most common virus at the moment on computer systems is the Anti Virus 2009. This is a virus that tries mimik a anti virus software. It will inform you that your system is infected. However the only infection is this software which harasses you to purchase thier removal tools.

This usually ends up on a system after you've downloaded a video or mp3 from somewhere like limewire. You click the file to open, it asks you to install a codec or somthing similar. Then bang! You now have a virus on your system.

I am currently selling lean mean anti virus software for £25. This is Kaspersky 3 user license software which can be used on 3 machines. PC World are selling Kaspersky however it is £25 for only one license.

Give me a call if your in Aberdeen and want anti virus software up-to-date.

Computer for sale in Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 10:39:00 +0000

I was donated a computer from a recent job. Have cleaned it up and fix the DVD Drive which was knackered. The unit is now fully functional and would make an ideal Internet browsing machine. I've installed office 2003 and a clean copy of Windows XP Genuine License also included. Nero CD writting software also included. Price is £60 please call to collect. 0780-9571893

System specification

40GB Hard Drive
Geforce MX 440 Graphics Card
512MB RAM
DVD Drive / CD Writter Combo.
17" CRT Monitor

Faster broadband for Aberdeen.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:14:00 +0000

I keep going on about ADSL2 on this blog however I have good reason. If you are buying a new computer then the speed you get from it has nothing to do with the price you pay, very little at least. I provide computer repair in Aberdeen however things like broadband I can also help with.

Back in the old days there was no internet so people used computers offline, the speed of your computer mattered. The more money you were willing to spend the quicker/smoother your computing experience would be.

This is no longer true. Not only has the cost of computers dropped the amount of online activity you use your computer for has increased. Personally 85%-90% of time I spend on a computer is now online. Now what matters is your broadband connection.

At the moment if you are in a residential area of Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire you probably are getting a broadband connection anywhere between 2mb and 7mb of speed. You can use the Aberdeen Broadband Help page to check you speed.

ADSL2 offers speeds of up to 24mb's. Now that is only a number but if you can get anywhere between 10mb-20mb and you'll be in the minority of broadband users. Having a connection that fast means the web should load instantly on your computer. You could download a feature film in 2 minutes compared to 2 Hours.

Currently BT has not provided Aberdeen with ADSL2. However other service providers are offering ADSL2 and some are setting up ADSL2 in Aberdeen.

AOL, Tiscali & Sky have all got ADSL2 service in Aberdeen however a word of warning. Some of these ISPs are awful. You get a fast connection but it may be a congested connection. The more popular the ISP the more congested the connection. This leads to a slow down.

o2 broadband however may be the way to go. They are currently working on ADSL2 and have set an online date for 30 of October. After this date you should be able to sign up to their service and get fast speeds. Not only that if you are on an o2 contract you can save quite a bit of money on the broadband cost every month.

As mentioned I do computer repair Aberdeen but also can help with broadband issues. Any queries about broadband feel free to email me.

Secure your wireless network.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:01:00 +0000

Just removed a virus from a laptop for a customer in Aberdeen. When I was reconnecting it to their wireless network I noticed that it was unsecure. At the moment there are two types of security on wireless routers. WEP and WPA, WEP is the older security standard and can easily be hacked. Most BT Homehubs run on WEP as do SKY broadband routers by default. However they are both capable of the more secure WPA features.

You should check that you are running WPA, or at least WEP. If there is no security your neighbours will probably be stealing your broadband, this saves them £20 a month, very generous of you :) However the real concern is if you have a neighbour that knows what they are doing! They could be intercepting all your online activity. Anytime you log onto hotmail or online banking they can be taking your passwords. If they are real geeks then they can see everything on your computer!

If you'd like to get your network checked then give me a call.

ADSL2+ Delay in Aberdeen :(

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:42:00 +0000

As reported back in July the Aberdeen Dedburn BT exchange was supposed to be getting a speed boost with an ADSL2 upgrade in November. As the time is getting closer I just checked the date which has now been pushed back to 21/03/2009 - 31/03/2009.

Looks like BT are delaying the ADSL2 upgrade of the Aberdeen exchange. This is a bit of a disappointment however it does not surprise me as BT are always letting me down. I manage quite a number of broadband lines for a charity in Aberdeen. They have around 50-60 BT broadband lines in Elgin, Inverurie, Huntly, Peterhead, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Aboyne, Banchory to name a few. If there is an issue at one of the lines it can take BT 5-7 days before an engineer fixes the problem!

My advice to you is do not be too reliant on your broadband connection. If it goes down you may be without service for a week if the issue is not within your home.

Back to the ADSL2, I've did a bit of research this morning and it looks like SKY broadband Max package are now offering ADSL2 in Aberdeen. This is an unbundled service not managed by BT, that's why it is up and ruining. If you've got sky this will only cost £10/month a true bargain. Download speeds of 16mb and there is no traffic shaping I'm aware of. Go via quidco.co.uk for some cash back ;)

Broken laptop Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Today I've been repairing a Dell laptop. The most common laptop repair in Aberdeen I undertake are broken screens. Unfortunately you can't "repair" the screen. The screen must be swapped out for a new one. This is generally the rule of thumb for any computer hardware. You swap out the part that's broken. As you can see from the picture not only is the screen cracked, there are keys missing from the keyboard.

Whilst it is possible to replace specific keys (eBay). This keyboard is also missing the connectors to the keys so again I've to swap it out.

I find the most difficult repairs are on more expensive laptops. Not only are they usually more fragile than the sub £400 laptops. They are also more expensive to repair.

If you find that you've dropped your laptop check your home insurance policy. There is a good chance they'll just swap it out for a new laptop. If this is the case, give me a call I'll be more than willing to take the broken laptop off your hands. Not only will I recycle the parts from the laptop I can also wipe the data off the system so it does not get into the wrong hands. What ever you do do not put a broken laptop in the bin. The battery in these systems is not land fill material and has to be disposed of correctly.

Stay tuned and I'll show you the repair process on the broken laptop.

Computer repair in Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:13:00 +0000

I mainly repair computers in Aberdeen. However I also do laptop repair in Aberdeen as well. The main physical repair issues are around broken laptop screens or laptops that won't turn on.

75% of the time the laptop is worth fixing. However depending on the age of the laptop it may not be. I offer a trade-in service. I'll give you a discount on your old laptop, transfer the data off it, even if it's not working. The data can then be loaded onto a new laptop. I usually knock off around £30 and can offer cheap laptops in aberdeen for £270 on a trade-in basis. These are brand new Dell systems that come with a full warranty via Dell.

As for desktops 99% of the time the repair is worth fixing. I consider my quotes honest and offer value for money on my service. I also offer discount on repeat business.

To sum it up if you need your computer or laptop repaired in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire and want a quality service at a good price you've found the correct phone number 0780-9571893

Computer shops in Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Usually when someone calls me with a Computer problem in Aberdeen they want it fixed as soon as possible. I tend to do a 24 hour turn around service however this is not always possible. The main reason is that the computer part that needs replaced is not in stock.

Laptop motherboards and screens in Aberdeen are hard to come by so usually I have to order up. Other items that are needed "now" and I don't have stock of I can call upon my friends.

When I get a call for a repair I always quote the best price I can find on hardware. Laptop screens are always the most expensive items to replace in any system but I can usually still make it worth while for a repair. Some folk will charge £200 to repair laptop screens plus the price of the screen. I believe this is ripping the customer off when you can get a new laptop for £300.

If I think the laptop is not worth reparing I'll let the customer know. I do offer a trade-in price for laptops as I can recycle or use other parts of the laptop. I can also transfer the data off the old laptop onto the new one, which is always helpful! I also sell refurbished laptops in Aberdeen.

The best computer shops in Aberdeen at the moment are Everest Tech on Holburn street. They have a good range of hardware and offer good prices. They also have customer parking which is handy. The other good computer shop in Aberdeen is North East periperals on George Street.

Get more from your Computer!

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:40:00 +0000

Over the past few months I've seen slow slow computers and laptops. Here are five easy ways to speed up your PC / laptop. If you are in Aberdeen give me a tinkle and I can lend a hand.

1. Add more RAM (memory) it's cheap!

Back in the dark ages of IT computer memory was very expensive. This has now changed and if you have an aging computer the single best solution is to add in extra RAM. If you have an older machine the software that came with that machine was designed to run with the memory installed. However over the past few years software has been gaining the need for more RAM. So if you've recently installed a new bit of software in an old machine there is a very good chance that it's slowing the machine down a lot.

You can tell how much RAM is in your machine by right clicking the my computer icon and choosing properties from the menu. If you have 256MB RAM, you should be ashamed of yourself, upgrade now! For £10 you can double that to 512MB RAM. If you have 512MB RAM, your doing okay however 1GB RAM is ideal, the cost around £20. To upgrade your computer in Aberdeen give me a call.

2. Defrag your hard disk.

Windows likes to spread data around your hard drive like butter on toast however hard drives work faster when the data is all together, like one big clump. Defragging a hard disc orders the data on your hard drive so windows can access it faster, this in turn will speed up the running of your hard drive. Download, install and run ultra defrag this is far better than the defrag utility in windows and is free!

3. Uninstall Norton, Macafee and AVG anti virus!

Am i nuts, uninstall your anti virus? Well Fixing computers in Aberdeen has led me to the conclusion that these 3 are bad for your computer. AVG never used to be so bad but since version 8 (released May '08) It is now up with Norton and Macafee as processor hogs of the computer. Don't believe me? Google "Norton is a virus" or click here for some reasons that make my statement ring true.

Okay I have removed Norton/Macfee/AVG now what? Well congratulations firstly, I know how difficult it is to remove Norton from a system. There are plenty of alternatives to the big three. I recommend Avast Free edition and Super Anti Spyware. However there are others that I also recommend, give me a all if you need a virus removed or an anti virus removed in Aberdeen :)

4. Speed Up your Internet

Some people think the more expensive the computer or the newer the computer the faster it will be, wrong! Nowadays most people use their computer to surf the web. That means that your broadband connection has much more of a role in system performance compared to the actual performance of your computer.

Here is how to speed up your broadband in Aberdeen, or anywhere else for that matter!

Plug your router into the master socket in your house. Do not run your router or modem off an extension in your house. If the master socket is somewhere that the computer can't go I can help with this, either via a wireless network or a home plug network (Internet gets sent around your electricity supply!) Having a hardwired connection is always better, wireless sucks most of the time, especially with the granite walls in Aberdeen.

Remove the ring wire from your master socket. This is usually an orange wire, if you don't feel comfortable doing this then you know who to call at this point. The ring wire used to be used on old telephone systems and made the telephone "ring". It is no longer used and actually causes interference with the broadband signal, slowing down your connection.

Get a new ISP, maybe, if you're with a big ISP like BT, Virgin, AOL, Tiscali then this is probably one of the main factors why you have slow Internet. Because they are big they have more customers, more customers means more people using the same connection to their servers. This spells disaster for the power user. A general rule of thumb, the smaller the ISP the better the service. I use an outfit called ADSL24, there are others. You'll also find with the bigger ISP they'll throlle/restrict usage to the Internet at certain times of the day, mainly between 4pm-9pm.

5. Re-install windowzzzz

Windows is great but over time it will slow down and get cluttered up. I'm not going to go into the detail on how to do this as there are a few steps and it take a good 3 hours to get it all running again. However the is probably one of the best tips, if you need a windows reinstall in Aberdeen give me a call. Or look further down this blog where I outline the process.

Slingbox Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:06:00 +0000

Another day another job. This time it was quite interesting! A fellow who has a holiday home in Aberdeen (yes I know, a holiday home in Aberdeen!) called me up. He lives in Asia and misses all the great things UK TV has to offer. I don't blame him, I've been to Spain on holiday a few times and the T.V. choice is poor, I won't even mention what the US channels are like!

Well he purchased a slingbox. It's a device that you hook up to your sky TV /DVD/Freeview. The other end of the slingbox goes to your broadband router. What the box does is pull the TV source (sky in his case) convert it into a digital form that can be sent around a home network or the Internet.

I've heard about these devices before but this was the first time I have seen one. At first I thought, what's the point? Then it clicked, you can access TV from anywhere, as long as you have an Internet connection.

Anyway the customer is happy, I managed to configure the slingbox so that it can broadcast outside the home network. This allows him to fire up the sling player on his laptop in Asia and watch AND control his sky box in Aberdeen.

He almost had it set up by himself the only thing he got stuck on was port forwarding on the router, this ain't simple and took me a good couple of months to fully understand. I use port forwarding all the time for remote access into computers but the slingbox also requires it.

So I'm fully qualified in setting up slingbox's. If you've got one (they are currently only £60 from expansys.com) and are having "issues" let me know.

I'm thinking of buying one for myself now and giving my brother and father access to it as they live in the states. Best of all it has an inbuilt freeview tuner so I cvould just hook up to my router and leave them to use it. Nice Christmas present for them :)

Speed test your broadband.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:47:00 +0000

I've been round at a few of houses doing a couple of computer repairs in Aberdeen. Most broadband users don't notice that much difference in speed however the 2 houses I've visited have had really slow connections to the Internet.

I tested thier computers to make sure that there were no large downloads at the time. All clear. Next I tested thier connection speed which can be easily done here

Most users should get at least 2000kbps download with it downloads in Aberdeen topping out at 7000kbps, if you can reach above 5000kbps then you should be happy as that is a 5mb connection to the internet which can handle even the biggest type of downloads.

However if you have an upto 8mb service and are getting below 1000kbps then things are not right. Either on your system or with your ISP, and you should not be paying for an 8mb service (which most people are on) if you are getting under 1000kbps.

I have a list of things that can speed up any connection. If you require a speed upgrade service on your broadband then get in touch. I'm currently offering a MOT for your broadband for £40.

Remove Antivirus 2009.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:19:00 +0000

I've been getting a lot of calls from folk in Aberdeen and the shire. "Help" I have a virus. Anti virus 2009 pop ups and the like. It's a nasty marketing software product that takes control of your computer and tries to sell you anti virus software. It also slows down your machine and at a guess installs a key logger so knows everything your typing. Not good if you do online banking.

How to remove anti virus 2009 ?

Well there is no easy way. Do a search on google and there are plenty of tutorials and other software makers that will try and make you part with cash if you buy their anti virus software! The tutorials may work but are a lengthy process 3-4 hours worth of scanning and the nasty still might be on there.

My best advice is to give me a call if your in Aberdeen. The removal takes around 2 hours. If you are not in Aberdeen get a quote from someone that can:

A) back up your data (pictures, music, documents, videos, itunes)
B) re install windows with the correct license applied
C) re install all drivers on your system
D) restore the data backup

essentially your PC will get taken back to the factory default settings with a clean copy of Windows. The only disadvantage to this process is that you must have the original software CDs for programs you use (games, programs, office, word, excel) If you don't then you'll have to download them again or source alternatives which I can also help with ;)

Get a website in Aberdeen easy!

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:05:00 +0000

It is still thought to be a black art, build your own website. However it is really easy. I've got a friend in Aberdeen he is a video production editor and is always looking for extra work. When he films his own stuff for production he always goes under the name of Day of the Dog Productions. I suggested to him that he should have his own website to promote his interests and business. A great tool for networking. He just looked at me and asked how much it would cost. "Around a fiver", I told him. Like the true Aberdonain that he is this sounded about the correct amount to invest on a website.

1) Buy a domain name

Goto 123reg and search for the domain name you'd like. Most .co.uk domains are about £5 for two years.

Once you've chosen the domain add it to your shopping cart, make sure to remove any unwanted domains that they have suggested. Then click buy and create an account.

2) Use Bebo/Myspace/Facebook/Blogger/Youtube to create your homepage.

My friend was promoting video production in Aberdeen so it made sense to use his profile homepage on Youtube as his Website front page. It is not finished yet but there are lots of options on all the Web 2.0 services (youtube/bebo etc) to customise your homepage to a certain look and feel. All that is left then is to add content to the page on the item/product/service your promoting.

3) Redirect your new domain name to your page.

Log into the control panel on the 123reg website with your new username/password. Scroll down to "manage domains".

Choose your new domain and click modify domain. Then click web forwarding. You want to choose framed web forwarding (2nd option). Scroll down to the bottom of the page and edit the following fields.

Meta tag Author: put your name or company name here.

Meta tag Keywords (separate with commas): put keywords that people would type into google to find you. For example Aberdeen Computer Repair, Computer Man in Aberdeen this is what I use for this website amongst others.

Meta tag description: put in a relevant description for your site here.

Then click the update web forwarding button.

That's it!!!

The possibilities are endless. I am planning on doing something similar with photography using facebook. What is great about this type of website is if you have satisfied customers they can add you as friends on their bebo/facebook pages which will give you a positive feedback loop.

Of course this is not going to look 100% professional but how many websites do look professional? Quite a lot but they've spent £100's if not £1000's and if they've spent £10,000's you'll probably not be hanging around thier too long as it is so corporate. Start small with something I've suggested above then get a professional website created by a professional.

Over and out for now folks.

USB ports not working?

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Error code 41 usb not working. The drivers were loaded but the device was not found.

Read on if you want to know the fix :)

I just got a system in with this error. None of the USB ports were working. I had a look in the event viewer and saw bad blocks on the hard drive, so cloned the drive onto another drive that was fine. I thought the bad blocks might be corrupting the relevant USB drivers. However that did not fix!

Then I checked the BIOS to make sure that USB was enabled, it was. Still no idea! I then went and purchased a USB PCI card and put it in the system. That did not work either!

Last ditch attempt, I did a repair install of Windows, guess what, that did not work either!

Google saves the day. Turns out that antivirus Kaspersky was installed on this system and then removed. There is some sort of bug when it is removed and messes with the registery. Managed to find a link to a reg file that seems to do the trick here is the link to the relevant thread on the Kaspersky forums.

I've earned my beer for tonight I think :)

Got a lot of cables ?

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:38:00 +0000

If you are trying to store a lot of cables neatly go down to your local b&q and get garden wire. it's the same stuff as the black wire you get that is tied around new cables but is green. Works a treat !

ADSL2 In Aberdeen coming soon.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:26:00 +0000

If you are like me then you want the fastest connection to the internet possible. I recently moved from a cottage south of Udny back into Aberdeen. With this brought a speed boost on my broadband. Out at the cottage if it rained my broadband would slow down. If it snowed the broadband would switch off! My maximum speed was 512k when I was on broadband max (upto 8megs) my speed was 256k, I had to get BT to put me on a fixed line. Quite a good tip if you live very far out from you local BT exchange.

Anyway back in Aberdeen now and about half a mile from the nearest BT exchange, which is the Denburn exchange. I'm getting 6mb connection now. This is set to increase to 12mb in November. You can check when your broadband is set to increase by using the ADSL2 checker.

Half of Aberdeen is set for this speed increase between 19/11/2008 and 18/02/2009. However as with anything computer related and that's new. An upgrade may be required in the form of an ADSL2+ modem router.

If you've had broadband for a few years now more than likely your router will only work with the ADSL 1 standard. I won't get into the technical details on the standard but you'll need a ADSL2+ modem to make full use of the new features BT will be implementing at the exchange.

If you are in the Aberdeen area and require an upgrade check my website out. You can contact me for advise and upgrade options for ADSL2 in Aberdeen.

Cracking wireless networks.

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:52:00 +0000

There is a great tool called backtrack. It is a LiveCD, which basically means it's an operating system that can be booted from a CD.

Anyway the CD lets you boot into a distribution of Linux that has many tools for "hacking" or "cracking" computer systems.

I use the tool mainly at work to penetration test my systems. I currently support around 600 users here in Aberdeen and across the north-east of Scotland. The system we use runs at our head office and all computers connect to it to run applications and access files. With such a reliance on having all the systems in one place things have to be secure.

I mainly use backtrack to gain access to my companies wireless networks. There have been cases of some Polish guys sitting outside our offices in Elgin and tapping into our wireless network for free broadband. If they really wanted to mess with us though and knew what they were doing they'd highjack client connections. Meaning that all data our staff are accessing goes through their laptop first. This is also known as a man in the middle attack.

Apart from this type of wireless network thing I also warn customers of the security risk they have. I was in a customer’s house a few weeks back fixing her wireless connection. A big granite 3 story house in the Cornhill area. The wifi signal did not have a chance. I recommended the network homeplugs. However I also secured her wireless. You see the BT Home hubs which many people have are secured using a standard called WEP encryption. Which takes around 3 minutes to break into using a backtrack CD and the correct hardware.

I plan to help my neighbours out as well as there are a few BT Home hubs in the area. Lucky I'm an honest kind of guy and don't go around stealing people’s broadband or worse man in the middle attacks. Booking a holiday online? They might take your credit card details.

Over the next few weeks I'll be blogging about backtrack with some in-depth tutorials for cracking wireless networks. Then it's off to starbucks to crack to bluetooth headsets.

Lucky I don't live in Texas!

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:49:00 +0000

A new state law has just been past in Texas. If you are a computer technician and own a shop you must have a PI (private investigator) license.

In order to obtain the license you must have a criminal Justice degree which usually takes 3 years to study for.

If you are caught without a licence will get a $4000 fine!

Reading this crazy news story I can only assume that it is a case of "big brother gone mad".

What OS?

noreply@blogger.com (AB1 Computers) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:23:00 +0000

I sell quite a few Dell laptops to people in and around Aberdeen. When you go to PC w0rld or any other local computer shop and buy a new system you'll find it comes pre-loaded with the new Windows Vista OS (operating system).

However this really kills the performance on a brand new laptop or desktop machine. My advice to all my customers is to "Upgrade to XP". I offer this service as part of my sale when a new system is purchased at AB1 Computers.

There are many reasons that Vista is good but there are also many reasons why XP is still king. Vista is an embarrassment for Microsoft and it's not the first time the software giant has offered a poor OS. Back in 1999 I believe Microsoft released Windows ME which was also a poor excuse for a new operating system. Built around Windows 98 core it had few improvements, just a some what glossy image. Sound familiar?

My own choice was Windows 98 and Windows 2000 at the time. However Windows 2000 was brand new and few software vendors supported desktop user applications. I had to learn the hard way!

Now there is a similar situation with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. I've opted to try Windows Server 2008 as my new "power user" workstation OS. However I'm already learning from my mistakes.

I installed it on my system last night with somewhat ease. The new 8gigs of RAM in my system are now being seen and the quad core CPU I picked up from the U.S. on the cheap is doing the trick. However I have no Internet access. It turns out that very few wireless (wifi) cards are supported in the new Server 2008. This is mainly due to it being built around the Vista x64 core and all drivers have to be signed from Microsoft. This means that any hardware makers have to approach MS for driver signing prior to the hardware being compatible with Server 2008.

Anyways it looks like I'll be under my house at some point hard wiring a connection to my modem ! As I've said before, it's not a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Aberdeen Computer Repair