COMPUTER REPAIRS, NETWORK AND SECURITY TIPS AND TRICKS

how to update ur kaspersky antivirus offline

2009-12-09T17:51:00.002+01:00

one of the ways of knowing a good antivirus is when the antivirus is user friendly, i.e easy to use and when you dont have to work yourself to update it.
BDV-649299-BDV.
alot of times we often find antivirus very difficult to manage and this leads to carelessness on our side.

2009-11-27T16:39:00.004+01:00

How to download Toshiba drivers

There is no doubt that the world is now going mobile, every body wants something that is handy and easy to carry around, and this development has triggered innovations and recent technological advancement.
One can buy a laptop and no longer the desktop we all use to have in our houses. There is no problem with the advancement in technology when it comes to laptops and small PDA’s, the problem now is how easy these devices to be maintained are and by what category of human beings. Its not just buying laptop but being able to maintain it and off cause fix it when its faulty.
In this article I will be continueing on my series how to download drivers, I have written on how to download HP drivers,Dell drivers,Acer drivers and now am going to be sharing with you how to download Toshiba drivers, especially for your laptops. Firstly I like to let you know that when ever you are looking for any driver for any device, the first place to check is the device manufacturers website. Don’t be deceived into believing that you will find a better driver outside the manufacturers website. Am not also rulling off the fact that you can get drivers from other site.
In this article I will be showing you step by step guid on how to download Toshiba drivers from Toshiba support website. If you are ready lets go there.
1. go to Toshiba drivers download page http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/home.jsp. when the site opens click on download on the top of the site.
2. if you are downloading drivers for laptop click on laptops when the download page opens.
3. select the category in the choose family field,
4. all the models for that category will be listed in the last pane of the search box, select you laptop model in that box and click on Go.
When you click on the GO button, the site will load and display all the drivers for all the operating systems. Now you have to filter the result by some criteria’s like your own installed operating system.

Where you see refine search by, click the drop down list and select your installed operating system. The site will load and display links to all the drivers tof your Toshiba laptop. Just click on each link of the driver you need and it will take you to the download link for that driver, as soon as you have downloaded the driver click on back button on your browser to take you back to the driver list.
Note: to make your search easier you have to know the devices that are in your laptop e.g. does your laptop have a Bluetooth device, wifi etc. this will make your download much easier.

If you follow through this simple steps you should see all the drivers for your laptop,

For more on drivers download please read other articles on how to download drivers for your devices.
youcan ask you question by commenting on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to our feed and stay current with more computer repair articles that will help you keep your computer safe and secured

How to avoid windows genuine advantage black screen

2009-05-06T13:08:00.004+01:00

After my article on how to remove windows genuine advantage in 4 minutes a lot of comments have been coming, most say that after removing the genuine windows notification it will come back. In this article i will show you how you can avoid windows genuine advantage detection.
Whenever your computer shows black screen it simply means that windows GDI detection tool was installed during the update. To prevent this, reconfigure your windows automatic update to download and ask you it install. To configure your automatic update click start-->click control panel. When it opens click on security centre, a new window will open click on automatic update, the dialog box will open. Select download updates but let me choose to install them. Click apply and ok. That’s it. Whenever you are on the net your computer will download updates and give you notification on your task bar that updates have been downloaded, click here to install. Now when you click the notification, a dialog box will open for you with two options, they are express install and manual install. Click on manual install, you will see the updates that windows have download and are about to be installed checked by default. Whenever you see "windows GDI detection tool" uncheck it and install others. Don’t ever install GDI detection tool that’s what black list your key and gives your black screen. If you follow through these simple steps your computer will not be detected again. If you can format your computer or repair it do so and use the serial MM9M9-Q9C6B-2988C-4B9GX-BWPWM at the back of your CD. Note this article is for educational purpose only. Do not use the example key.

If you have any question click on comments below this article and ask your questions on the comments field. For more information on windows tricks please visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. Or subscribe to our feed for more comprehensive articles that will help you keep your computer safe and secured.

How to connect two network switches

2009-04-29T19:06:00.003+01:00

Every organization that uses computer needs a network for easy sharing for information,
Because of the importance of information sharing on the network there is need to install a network switch. The network switch links all the computers together. When the network becomes very large the need to install network switches arises and for that you can use the simple steps below to connect two network switches together.
Firstly you need the following for your connection.
Crimp tool, Cat 5 cable, RJ 45 connectors, and a network switch.
If you are ready its time to connect.
For you to connect two network switches you need to make a cross over cable. this cross over cable has the following colour coding below. You will terminate your cable using the image below. One end will terminated with the first colour and

the other end with the second colour code. If you got that right then simple connect one end of the network cable that you just terminated to one of the network switch and the other end to the new network switch. Power the network switch. Connect your computers to the network using a straight cable and check. Hurray!!!! Your network connection worked. So if your network switch is far from your computer you can still get network access by purchase a network switch and terminating a cable from the far network switch to the one nearer to you and connect your computer to it.

If you have any question click on comments below this article and ask your questions. If you need more information on networking please visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. or subscribe to our feed for more comprehensive articles that will help you keep your computer safe and secured.
dont forget to say thank you by commenting on the article.

How to enable parental control in Dlink wireless router DIR-300

2009-04-14T18:35:00.006+01:00

Networking the computer at home can be very nice, being able to share resources without having to go to the individual computers. It really makes communication with your kids very easy.

Before you network your home computers, have you ever thought of how you can control your kids, I mean prevent them from viewing pornographic sites and harmful sites. Do you have software to do this for you? has the software actually done it? The good news is you can do just that with DLink wireless router DIR-300. I was troubleshooting my wireless network and stumbled into the parental control so I decided to share it with all my readers.
Just follow the steps below.
After setting up your router and logging into your router, I believe you have the password or know how to reset your router if you don’t have the password.

Setting parental cotrol:
when you are logged into your router look at the left pane of the router you will find parental control. Click on it. When it opens, under configure parental control click the drop down box and select parental control on and deny access to only theses sites. Below that check the check box and enter the website URL. You have 25 sites to block, sometimes you may want to schedule some sites, i.e. schedule the time they will be able to visit the site. To do this after checking the box and entering the website url. Click add new. A new window will load you enter the name of the schedule. E.g. sports time if you want your children to access a sports site at a scheduled time. Next select the days, set the time. When you are through click on save changes. Restart all the computers on the network and try it. The site will be blocked.

If you have any question click on comments below this article and ask your questions. If you need more information on networking please visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. or subscribe to our feed for more comprehensive articles that will help you keep your computer safe and secured.
dont forget to say thank you by commenting on the article.

How to Download Acer drivers

2009-04-09T06:07:00.005+01:00

One of the problems people get with Acer computers is drivers, how? They find it difficult to download drivers if they need to especially for the laptop computers. After formatting there Acer Laptop downloading the drivers takes they a lot of time.
A lot of my readers and clients have been complaining obout drivers and how to download them so I decided to write how to download all the major computer manufacturers drivers. I have written how to download dell drivers, also how to download HP drivers .

And now it’s how to download Acer drivers. I will always say this, it’s only the manufacturer of a product that can give you the correct drivers for his product, so when never you need a driver for any product just go to the manufacturer’s website, and you will find it.

To download Acer drivers. Open Acer Europe drivers and support site, select the product category that your computer Is e.g Acer travelmate, Acer Extensa, select your product model and it will load the product drivers and utility download page.
Click on drivers and utilities a pop menu will open click on the driver you want and it will load and start downloading.

Click on empowering technology and utilities to download Acer empowering technology.

Before you start downloading you must know the hardware that you computer came with i.e you should know if your computer came with camera, Bluetooth if it has wireless etc so that you will know the drivers to download.

For more information on drivers download browse our drivers section, you can send your questions to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or subscribe to our feed and be the first to get our comprehensive articles that will help you keep your computer fast, safe and secured.

How to change windows start up and log off sound.

2009-04-08T10:03:00.005+01:00

May be you don’t know, but am very sure that you are tiered of hearing same windows sound when ever your computer starts up just that you dont know how to change it or you dont know that it can be changed. You can change the default windows start up and logoff sound. I believe that you know what am talking about, if you don’t know just shut down or logof your computer, you will hear the sound.
I just stumbled into this some time ago when I was troubleshooting my audio driver so I decided to share it with you. what it means is that you can configure your windows xp computer to sing your favourite song each time it boots and each time you shut down instead of the normal windows sound.

Configuration

open control panel. To open control panel click on start you will find control panel on the right middle of the pop menu. When it opens double click on sounds and audio devices, a dialog box will open with volume tab, click the sounds tab, it looks like this under program events scroll to exit windows and click on it, you will see under sounds windows XP shutdown. You can click on the play button to hear the sound . click on browse to and locate the music file that you want to change to.
Note: the music file must be in WAV format.

We have succeded in changing windows xp logoff sound. For start up stound, still in program events scroll down to start windows , to be sure its start windows click the play button beside windows xp start up. Click on browse to locate the music file that you want to use. Also make sure that the musci file is in WAV format.
If you follow through these simple steps click on apply and ok. Now restart your computer and hear the sound . if the sound its what you changed clap for your self you have successfully change windows xp default start up and logoff sound to your own music.

For more information on windows tweek and general computer related problems visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. send your question to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com. Oryou’re your questions to our comment on the article. subscribe to our feeds for more conprhensive articles that will help keep your computer safe and secured.

How to download HP drivers

2009-03-28T13:11:00.002+01:00

A lot of people get very frustrated after formatting their desktop computers and laptops simply because they find it difficult to get the drivers fro their computer especially the laptops. Some have been using the recovery CD that comes with the laptop until it got missing finding where to download driver becomes a very difficult task.
When you format your HP computer there is no need looking for the driver elsewhere. The manufacturers being HP Hewlett packed knows that you will misplace your recovery CD and have placed all the drivers for their computers on their website for you to download when ever you need it.

To download HP drivers you must know the computer model and the operating system installed before you start looking for the driver.
Start by going to www.hp.com, on the home page click on support and driver at the middle top of the page, after loading step one is to select software and drivers download. I will advice you to do your search by categories. If you are looking for hp laptop drivers, under product category click on Notebooks & Tablet PCs. on the next page that will load click Notebook PCs, the page will load and display several hp laptop model, if you are looking Hp pavilion dv 600 drivers you will now click on HP Pavilion Notebook PCs, the page will load and display several pavilion notebook PCs, because am looking for dv 6000 driver I will click on HP Pavilion dv6000 Entertainment Notebook PC series, this will load and display all the dv 6000 series notebook links I will simply click on HP Pavilion dv6000 CTO Notebook PC, when the page loads click on Software & Driver downloads , this will now take you to the page where you will select the operating system that is installed on your computer. finally the drivers will be displayed for you to download. Dont get confused because its many the most important drivers are sound, VGA and network controllers.

hope this solves your problem. For more on driver download visit our driver category or subscribe to our feeds for more comprehensive articles on how to keep your computer and network safe and secured.

How to download DELL drivers

2009-03-11T06:00:00.000+01:00

A lot of times getting the right driver for laptops is very difficult especially when you don’t have the recovery CD. Some times this is the reason why we don’t want to format the computer even when it needs to be formatted. If you’ve formatted your DELL computer especially laptops and don’t know how to get the drivers. As you read along you will find that out.

Firstly you should know that every manufacturer also manufactures spare parts and drivers that should work with their product so the one place to look for DELL drivers is on DELL website.

Step by step

To download dell drivers you should know the model of the DELL computer that you have. logon to www.dell.com, click on drivers and support, at the bottom of the page, it will take you to a page where you have to identify you product, for this article I will use the model to locate Dell Vostro 1500 windows xp driver, you can use the service tag if you have it pasted on your computer. on the drivers and download page click on select model, it will show different product family e.g. laptops, desktops etc. for this article I will click on laptops, under the product line you will select you kind of product e.g. inspiron, vostro, xps etc, for me I will click on vostro laptops, under the model you will select the exert model of your computer. for me I will click on 1500, finally click on confirm.
After you have clicked confirm the page will load and displays your selection and there you have to select the operating system that is installed on your computer, for me under operating system I will select windows xp, then under importance I will select recommended then the page will load and display all the recommended drivers for Dell Vostro 1500 windows xp, finally just click on the + sign to show the different drivers for the model and then download all the drivers that you want.

There is no better place to get a products driver than the manufacturer’s website of service centers.

For more on how to download drivers and windows problems visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can post your comment and questions, or subscribe to our full feed for more comprehensive articles that will help you keep your computer safe and secured.

How to configure a Network Router

2009-03-10T06:03:00.001+01:00

A lot of people find it difficult to configure their router; router configuration is easy and can be done in just ten minutes.
When you have purchased a wireless router, you will see a device that has one or two antennas sticking up from the rear. The router will have a few lights on it, which may indicate power or activity when lit. The back of the router has connections to the WAN (the modem will plug into here) and LAN ports that give you the ability to plug into any nearby computers with a Cat5 Ethernet cable.

Setup Process

You will need to use a patch cable to initially login to the router. Using a web browser, such as IE, type http://192.168.1.1 and hit enter. Hopefully you'll get a login screen for the router. If not, you may need to try the address 192.168.0.1.
Your router will be shipped with a default login, which you will need to change immediately. Refer to your documentation for that login. If you do not have documentation, try admin as the login and password.

Configuring DHCP

One of the initial setup parameters is whether to enable DHCP. DHCP allows the router to handle the IP address for all of the network components on your LAN. For instance, when a PC boots to the router the first time, it will look for a DHCP server, and your router will reply. The router will assign an IP address and lease that unique IP to that computer for a specific amount of time. Each PC on the network will do the same. Since the router knows unique information about each computer, it will not assign the same IP to another machine.

Configuring SSID

Important, and often overlooked, the SSID must be set to match the workgroup name of all of your PCs on the LAN. Otherwise, you will not be able to connect to other machines or the Internet. Set the router's SSID to whatever you want, then go around to each PC and change its Workgroup (or often referred to as Network Name) by right-clicking My Computer, then Properties, then Computer Name. Then click Network ID and then the Change button. Under the Workgroup section, type in the same name you did for the router's SSID.

Finally, when you reboot the machine, you will see activity on the router, and then be able to access the Internet and other networking resources.

For more information on router and networking visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. Or stay current by subscribing to our full feed.

How to recover you data when computer refuse to boot

2009-03-09T16:24:00.000+01:00

A lot of times we have been victims of data lose in one way or the other. Hard disk failure is an inevitable event that must happen one day, because of this it is therefore important that we know what to do even if we hav backed up, but what of the most recent job you just did that you have not backed up? Are you going to lose that one?.
When your computer suddenly refuses to boot there are some steps that you can take to retrieve your files.

1. Get an External Case

Once your computer refuse to boot the most reliable means of retrieving your data is to get a Hard disk external case that you can connect to another computer using a USB cable. This method gives you access to your files before calling a pro.

2. Use a LiveCD

Don’t have access to a second computer for doing as you please? This method will be ideal, then. You’ll need to get temporary access to a computer with Internet and a DVD burner. Download a Linux LiveCD, Small Linux is the smallest, but also has issues mounting hard drives. The most simple for an average computer user would be Puppy Linux. It has a larger file size, but should recognize your drive.
Burn the Live CD ISO to a CD and insert it into your computer (the one with the crashed hard drive). Restart the computer and when it the computer logo appears, press F2 (or whatever key for your system) to enter BIOS. Change the boot sequence to CD first, Save and then Exit.

The Live CD will start, simply follow the directions on the screen–don’t worry, nothing is being done to your hard drive. The OS will start, and you should see your hard drive mounted on the desktop–something like “60GB”, etc. Plug in a second drive and copy and paste the folders over.

3. Data Recovery Software

if these two options sound confusing or difficult, you can get a data recovery software for just few $ and use it to recover your files. There are a lot of such software’s on the net some you can use their trial version to get your files.

5. Call a Professional

If you fell is very difficult for you, simply take your hard drive a professional that will be able to retrieve your document, it may be costly but it’s worth it except the files is not very important.

For more information on data recovery visit
http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. Or be the first to get our comprehensive articles by subscribing to our feeds. You can also send your questions to solutionprovider at gmail.com. or use the comment field.

How to Reset Linksys Router Password wrt54g and BEFWIIS4

2009-03-01T06:37:00.004+01:00

Do you have a Linksys router and you have forgotten your password or you want to reset the password to the default. Firstly you must have physical access to the router. This article is basically for WRT54g and model BEFW11S4
If you have changed the password from the default password and have forgotten the default or your router did not come with any documentation.
To regain access to the router try the following. In the username field leave it blank and in the password field type admin

Username / leave blank
password / admin

The Rest Button on a Linksys Router

To reset the router
While the back of your router might look different, the reset button is usually clearly marked. To reset the router to the default password, insert something thin--like a pencil point--and depress the red button. Hold that for a few seconds. The password for your Linksys router should have reverted to its default.
Try accessing it from a machine that is plugged directly into it. The default address is usually http://192.168.1.1. When you gain access to the router then you can change the password to any word of your choice.

For more information on networking visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com you can ask your question by using the comment field or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com. You can subscribe to our feed and stay updated with more and comprehensive articles that will help you solve your computer related problems.

How to uninstall yahoo messenger without registry tweak

2009-02-28T06:07:00.001+01:00

Yahoo messenger no doubt is the most widely used chating software and it is so much fun chating with yahoo messenger. Yahoo also has do greatly by constant upgrade of yahoo messenger to the most current one now that is vista like and has advance functionality but There are some times you may be having problem with yahoo messenger especially yahoo messenger 9.0 beta.

You try uninstalling it and in the process you get stocked and cannot uninstall yahoo messenger. You may want to delete it from the program files and change some registry entries. This will stop yahoo messenger from running but you have also left junks in your computer.

It is a simple process. Click on the start button on the task bar, click control panel, double click add or remove program on the window that will open scroll down to find yahoo messenger then click change/remove this will start the uninstallation process, finally click on finish and it will be uninstalled. Some times when you try to uninstall yahoo messenger it stops on the way or it shows some error messages that it cannot be uninstalled. What you need to do is just install yahoo messenger again on the same computer this will correct any bad file. Then you can now uninstall it.

For more information on software problems visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com you can ask your question by using the comment field or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com. You can subscribe to our feed and stay updated with more comprehensive articles that will help you solve your computer related problems.

How to troubleshoot a Hard Drive

2009-02-27T06:38:00.001+01:00

For now there are two type of Hard drive used in computers. The Hard drive in your system may be an IDE or a SATA. IDE is the older variety, with the long, flat ribbon cable connector. SATA drives began appearing a couple of years ago. Gone is the flat ribbon cable. In its place is a thick serial cable.

Your hard drive have jumper on the rear. For the IDE HDD the jumper cap is used to indicate which drive is either the master, slave. You can also configure the IDE to use the ribbon cable as the basis for selecting which is master and which is slave this is call the cable select.

New hard disk installation

If you just bought a new hard drive and you want to install it first if its and IDE hard disk change the jumper cap to master, slave or cable select as you wish. Master is used when you have may be a CD-ROM drive and you are using one ribbon cable, slave is used when you have two IDE hard disk in one computer and you want the other hard disk to be master may be because you want to back up your files then you can put the jumper cap of the new hard disk on the slave pins. Cable select is use when you want the hard disk to be seen according to which part of the ribbon cable is connected to it. If it’s a SATA hard disk, don’t worry about setting the jumper just use its cable and connect it properly.

Old hard disk troubleshooting

Check your power cable
Sometimes a power cable is not properly connected. Make sure that the power cable you are using is good and change the current Molex power cable and use another one to power it

Configure the BIOS
You have to make sure that the hard disk is properly connected and the jumper cap is also properly placed, secondly check the BIOS. You will need to tap a certain key to enter the BIOS settings. This is normally the ESC, F1, F2, F10 or Delete key and is usually indicated on the very first screen when booting the PC. Once in the BIOS make sure the drive shows up in the appropriate place. If the hard disk is the master try detecting it and change the boot sequence to the master as the first boot device, and make sure it is set to Auto Detect the drive.

Check your IDE cable
Sometimes the IDE cable is not properly connected. Get another IDE cable and use it to connect the drives and make sure that it is properly connected.

Check if the drive is spinning
If the hard drive is not spinning, then it may not be getting power. You may need to listen real close to hear it spin, or touch the side with your finger to feel any vibration. If the drive is not spinning, test the power dongle with a multimeter, or try a different power connector. A power supply will often have several Molex connectors not being used. If the hard drive still does not spin up, the drive may be dead.
Sometimes may be something is just wrong with your computer that you can figure, so you have to try the hard disk in another computer before finalizing that its bad.

For more information on Hardware Problems visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. you can ask your question by using the comment field or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com. You can subscribe to our feed and stay updated with more comprehensive articles that will help you solve your computer related problems.

How to Install A SATA Hard Drive

2009-02-26T06:40:00.000+01:00

Installing a Serial ATA hard disk drive is generally easier than an IDE drive, as it is not necessary to configure jumpers. While physically installing the hard drive in the machine is similar, the SATA drives require fewer configurations and planning. The hard drive has jumpers at the rear of the drive, but they are used for power management and have nothing to do with Master, Slave and Cable Select like the IDE drives use.

Just like any hard drive, there are some precautions you must take when handling a new drive. Before doing anything, read the manufacturer's directions and follow any special instructions that might have been shipped with the HDD.

SATA HDD precautions

• Turn off and unplug the computer.
• Wear an anti-static wrist band or make sure you are properly grounded.
• Do not put stickers or labels on the drive.
• Do not touch the electronics on the hard drive.

Installation process

You can mount the SATA drive in the computer any way you want (flat, upright, and upside down) provided you use the screw mounts on the side or top of the drive. Mount the drive where you will have good air flow and be sure to use the SATA cable that ships with the drive or one that is less than 39 inches, which is within the SATA specification. You can connect the serial cable to a SATA controller on the motherboard, or a controller card if the motherboard does not have an on-board SATA controller.

Next, connect power to the drive using the SATA power connector or the legacy Molex connector. Do not use both at the same time, as this could hurt the hard drive.
SATA hard drive is better than IDE drives both in power consumption and speed. So when next you want to build new computer, consider installing a SATA drive.

For more information on hardware’s and question please comment on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to my feed and stay current with more computer repair articles

How to partition your hard drive using FDISK

2009-02-24T06:28:00.000+01:00

Have ever seen a computer with one hard drive but when you boot the computer you always see two drives. This is usually done using FDISK. FDISK is a utility that let you partition your hard disk. It is also used to delete a partition

Before you can format your hard drive, you must partition it. Most drives only have a Primary partition, but that partition can be split into an Extended partition which can be further divided into Logical Drives. The C: drive is normally the Primary partition. The logical drives after that can be labeled D: E: F: etc. To partition the drive you'll need a boot disk. This disk (sometimes called a Startup Disk) will contain the FDISK utility. We recommend downloading one from bootdisk.com to match your Operating System, or you can get windows 98 bootable CD. You can use FDISK utility.

Creating Partition

Once the boot disk has been created, insert the disk and reboot. You will eventually wind up at the A:/ prompt. Type FDISK and hit enter. You will be taken to a screen with the following options: or you can use windows 98 bootable CD

1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete Partitions or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed drive

You will choose option one first, then when asked if you want to use the entire amount of space for this you will say Y if you have no intention of partitioning further, or N if you want to create an extended partition (recommended). Your extended partition must take up the remaining space on the disk. You will then be able to create Logical drives.

Your Primary partition should automatically be set as the Active partition. If not, you may need to go to the option 2 to designate it as such.
Keep in mind that there are some restrictions on partition sizes. You may need to partition huge drives into 64 gigs or smaller.

Deleting Partitions

Before creating partitions on older drives, you will have to delete the current partitions. Backup any important data because all data will be lost after deleting a partition. To avoid losing data, you can use non-destructive partitioning software such as Partition Magic--but it's wise to backup just in case.
If you have an NTFS partition on a drive FDISK will not be able to remove it. You'll probably see an error like this NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart. You can use a utility called delpart.exe to remove the NTFS partition. This is also available at bootdisk.com.

Hard Drive Utilities

Most hard drive manufacturers include partitioning and copying software with the new drives. This will be a disk similar to a boot disk that will provide a graphical interface that walks you through the process of transferring files from one drive to another and partitioning the new disk into the FAT 32 or NTFS format. This is by far the easiest way to go. However, it is still recommended that you know the differences between a Primary, Extended and Logical drive.

For more information and question please comment on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to my feed and stay current with more computer repair articles.

How to Troubleshoot a Motherboard

2009-02-24T06:09:00.001+01:00

Troubleshooting is a set of procedures that entails using your mental tools to dictate and rectify a fault on the computer system. The motherboard is the one component that connects to every other component on the system. For that reason it’s also one of the hardest to troubleshoot.

Check the power supply

When trying to diagnose a bad motherboard that will not power up, you must first check the power supply. Use a tester to test the voltage of current supplied to the computer. If the power supply and power pack checks out okay make sure you are plugging the computer directly into a working outlet.
Check your ram
The next step to take is to check and make sure that the ram is ok. To do this note that the motherboard comes with two ram banks (slots).insert the ram into the first bank (slot). It is normally labeled bank 0 and bank 1 or bank 1 and bank 2. Whichever way just make sure that it is occupying the first slot. Power your computer, if it does not come up.

Use isolation method

Remove any add-on card. Like network card, sound etc including any IDE device connected to the board like hard disk, CD-ROM drives and any external device like printer, scanner etc. after isolating these components power the motherboard. If it comes up then connect the devices one after the other.

Look For Physical Defects on the Motherboard

Common problems with motherboards are leaking capacitors. Capacitors help regulate voltage and when they fail, they will often budge and leak. Capacitors look like tiny soda cans and there are often several on a motherboard. If you do not see any bad capacitors, lift the computer and give it a gentle shake. Listen for any screws that may have come loose and work their way between the motherboard and case. This can cause a short that prevents the computer from booting.

Check your CMOS battery

If the motherboard still does not come up, the next step is to check the CMOS battery. The CMOS battery is suppose to read 3 volts, if it reads 2.5 it’s still ok, but if reads less than 2.5 volts then the battery needs to be replace. Change the battery with a new one. Then check the CMOS jumper. If it is in pin 2 and 3 that means it is disabled, correct it to pin 1 and 2. If you have done that power computer. If it does not come up.

Check your processor

Finally check if your processor is good. To do this, uninstall the cooling fan and heat sink but leave only the processor connected. Power your computer, it should come up by now.

For more information and question please comment on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to my feed and stay current with more computer repair articles.

Parental Controls in Internet Explorer 7

2009-02-23T06:01:00.001+01:00

The parental controls in Internet Explorer 7 gives you the opportunity to control when your child uses the computer, what time your child uses the computer and the type of content your child views when online. Gaming can even be blocked or controlled by using the Electronic Software Rating Boards review system. This article will explain how to enable the Parental Controls in Vista and Internet Explorer so you can feel better about allowing your child to experience the Internet without fear of being exploited or exposed to mature content.

To setup Parental Controls open Internet Explorer and go to Tools, Internet Options and then click the Content tab. Click the Parental Controls button. You will then see a screen which allows you to make settings for the various usernames you have setup on the computer. Once you select your child's username, you can then toggle on the Parental Controls option and begin configuring the settings.

Time Limits

You can set the hours of the day your child will be able to use the PC by blocking out restricted hours. You will see a grid with the days of the weeks and the hours. If you do not want your child to use the PC after 10 PM every night, setting the parental controls can prevent that activity. Click and drag your mouse pointer over the days and hours you want to restrict your child's usage and the blocks will become blue in color. When finished, click OK to exit this setting.

Game Restrictions

The ESRB rates games and labels them with rating tags. If you want to block violent or provocative games from your child, selecting the ESRB's game level of your child will prevent them from playing games with a mature rating. You can even check boxes that block specific games containing content such as Blood, nudity and bad language.

Viewing the Log

Probably the most important feature of Parental Controls is monitoring the types of content your children are viewing and playing. The activity log files can show you Emails, Instant Messages, top websites visited and other important facts about your childs activity on the computer. Use this information to tweak the Parental Controls so you can give your children the freedom to explore and learn in a safe, controlled environment.

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Step by step guide to map your network drive

2009-02-22T06:21:00.004+01:00

The world has become a technology driven environment and computers need to be networked for effective sharing of files. Many homes now contain servers, wireless and more than one computer, In a home or office with more than one computer and wireless Sharing data between these computers becomes very important, so it becomes necessary to create a way to access and share files among these computers. One of the best ways to do this is to map your network drives. Mapping a network drive is a way of making that drive accessible from My computer and assigning a letter to the drive. If you have more than one computer that you will want to share files among themselves or from a server, having it mapped to a specific drive letter on all computers makes that data easily accessible.

To map a network drive in Windows, you first need to know the path to the drive you want to share. E.g. \\computername\drive name so if you want to share drive C: of a computer named MANAGER, the path would be \\office\ C: You can also do it by the computer's IP address if the IP is static. \\192.168.1.5\C:

Note: before mapping a drive on the MANAGER computer that the drive has been shared. To do so, right-click drive C: and select Sharing and Security. In the next Window, specify the share name you want to use on the network.

Once you know the path to the shared folder, you can begin mapping the drive in Windows. To start, right-click My Computer, then select Map Network Drive...You will see a place to indicate a drive letter and a place to designate the folder. You can "Browse" the network to locate the drive, if you can’t find it, you'll need to manually type in the path as we did above i.e. \\computername\drivename.

NOTE: 1. Try and keep the drive letter you assign the same on all machines.
2. Keep Reconnect at Login checked so the computer automatically reconnects to the share when you reboot the computer.

For more information and question please comment on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit http://online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to my feed and stay current with more computer repair articles

How to Backup Your Computer Data

2009-02-21T06:59:00.001+01:00

Routinely backing up our important data is something we should all do. Unfortunately, we don't realize this until we're scrambling to recover data on a hard drive that has just gone south. Family photos, MP3s, that spreadsheet you've been doing for work--all gone. You can avoid this traumatic experience by using the backup utility that comes with Windows. This article outlines a few simple techniques you can use to make sure your computer data is safe.

Storage locations

Get a CD burner and occasionally drag and drop your files onto a disk using the software that came with the device (Usually something like Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero). A flaw in this technique is that you will inevitably forget to do this, and before you realize it, it's been a year since your last backup.
If you're determined to use this method, we suggest weekly backups as well as monthly backups, where you physically remove the backed up data from your home or office and store it at another location. A house fire or other disaster could destroy both your PC and your backup sitting beside it on the desk. So you'll increase your odds if you keep a monthly copy in a safe deposit box, at work, or at a family member's home.

Windows Backup

Windows has a backup program ready to go on your system. Navigate to START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, then SYSTEM TOOLS and you'll find the backup utility. While older versions of this utility will differ slightly from XP Professional's, you'll be able to follow the Wizard when backing up.
You can backup the entire system, which isn't a great idea. Windows and other programs can be reinstalled. So you're probably better off keeping your data in a centralized location, such as your My Documents folder. You can add folders within that directory by opening My Documents and right-clicking an empty space. Name the new folders whatever you want and organize your data. Then use the Windows backup utility to create a backup of your data. Put this file on another hard drive, burn it to disk, or copy it over to another computer on your network.
Also, take a moment to schedule backups. The Windows backup utility will give you a chance to schedule backups automatically. This is normally located under the advanced tab at the end of the backup process. Take a moment to set this up.

Use online storage

If you're having a problem with finding media to backup to, take advantage of free Yahoo Mail, Google Gmail accounts and other free email providers. You can get up to 2 Gigabytes of storage space on these accounts. What does this mean? You can email yourself attachments containing data. So you essentially have an invisible hard drive Out There on the Internet. This is great for temporary or redundant storage, but do not rely on it for the long term.

External disk

Another way to back up your document is to get an external hard disk and always back up to this disk at least once every week

Finally

No matter how you backup, make sure you never rely on a single source. Rotate your backups out of the home, Email them to yourself or place them on a separate partition on your hard drive. Take advantage of the backup utility in Windows and use the scheduler feature to automate things. Be proactive with your data, and you will be better off when your system fails....and it will fail eventually.

For more information and question please comment on the post or send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com or visit online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com. You can subscribe to my feed and stay current with more computer repair articles

How to share a dial-up internet connection

2009-02-06T13:03:00.001+01:00

Do you have a dialup internet on your computer at home or in your office and you want to share it with other computers in your home or office?
In this article I will be sharing with you how to share a dial up internet connection over LAN.
If you are using more than two computers then you need a network switch else you just need to terminate one end of the cable using the standard method and the other end crossed method.
A dial up can come through a USB cable or a network cable. If your dial up comes with a USB cable then you just have to use your onboard network card. If it comes with a network cable, you have to get an add-on network card, one card will be for the internet and the other card will be connected to the network switch.

On the computer with the internet open my network connections, right click on your dial up network and click properties. on the property window, check allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection. Also, check establish a dial up connection whenever a computer on my network attempts to access the internet. But the third unchecked box is a choice you either check it is you trust the people you are sharing with or leave it unchecked. Click ok.
Open control panel click network setup wizard, click next on the first screen you see on the second screen select the second option (this computer connects to the internet through a residential gateway or through another computer on my network), click next the computer description can be blank but you have to enter a computer name for that computer alone (e.g children’s pc, manager, son etc) and click next. For the work group you have to enter a name that is the name of the your network and the name will be used in any other computer that wants to be part of your network. you can use family if this is your house network or your company name if it’s your office network. Then Click next on the next screen select turn on file and printer sharing click next to see the preview your settings lastly click next to setup the network this process will take a little while. Once that is done select just finish the wizard and next, connect the other computers to the network switch.
On the other workstations simply use the network setup wizard to add the computer to the network and remember that the work group name must be the same for them to see themselves.
note that if you are using more than two computers, you have to get a network switch and connect the source out cable to the network switch and connect all the other work stations to the network switch.

for questions and observation send a mail to solutionprovider2000@gmail.com and for more on how to repairs your computer and networking solution visit online-computer-repairs.blogspot.com

My computer is not browsing

2009-02-05T11:27:00.009+01:00

Recently a friend brought his laptop to me and complained that the laptop is connected to a network but it is not browsing. On another occasion a laptop was brought to me in my office with the same problem of not browsing, so I thought I should share it with you.
The above cases had different causes and different solution where applied to them. In this article I will be sharing the solutions to make your computer browse.

Firstly you have to check your network adapter from the device manager if it is well assigned. To do that right click on my computer, click properties, click hardware tab, click device manager
If it is not marked with a yellow question mark then it’s well assigned.
Now open your internet explorer, click on file menu you will see work offline in the drop down menu if it’s checked uncheck it.

Then close the internet explorer and open it again. if your computer is still not browsing click on tools menu, and click internet option from the drop down menu. Click on connection tab and click LAN settings if “use a proxy server for you LAN ………”is checked uncheck it. Then check “Automatically dictate settings” and close the LAN setting Window. Back on the internet option window still on connection tab if you use a dial-up network also, you will see it there and click remove to remove it. But if the dial up is what you are using currently don’t remove it. Just select the dialup network and click setting by your right.
On the settings window also make sure that ”use proxy server for this connection…….” Is not checked and also make sure that automatically dictate settings is checked. Click ok and apply. You will get back to internet option window click general tab and delete all the cookies, temporary internet files and browser history. Restart your computer and connect your LAN or the network that you are using. Launch internet explorer and it should browse by now. If it is still not browsing install a registry cleaner and scan your computer to remove junk registry entries when you are through with that restart your computer. Connect to your network your computer will start browsing.

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Step by step Guide to install windows xp professional

2009-01-30T16:35:00.008+01:00

How many times do you have to call a computer engineer to repair/install windows xp software on your computer when it breaks down?
There is no doubt windows xp has been the best operating system produced by Microsoft corporation. This software has been in existence since 2002 and still many people still find it difficult to install or repair when it encounters a problem.
In a short while I will be showing you how to install windows xp professional just read on.

For you to install windows xp professional, you need the installation cd and make sure that your computer has cd-rom drive. If these things are available bingo! We are ready to install windows xp professional.

After connecting your computer correctly, press the power button and hit F11, F12, F1 depending on which key take you to boot selection menu. If none of these keys takes you there then you can set CD-Rom drive as the first boot device from the BIOS setup of your computer. To go to the BIOS setup, when you power your computer press F1, F2, and delete key simultaneously one of the key should take you to the BIOS setup. Then under advance setup menu select cd-rom drive as the first boot device and press F10 to save and exit.

When your computer starts booting it will check cd-rom drive for bootable media, then it will give a statement like “press any key to boot from cd” when this message comes up press any key on the keyboard, the installation process will begin. After starting windows the first screen will show with three options

1. To set up windows xp now, press enter
2. To repair a windows xp installation using recovery console press R
3. To quit setup without installing windows xp, press F3.

Press enter, windows xp license agreement will come up press F8 to accept it
Another screen will show displaying the drives in on your computer, press enter to install window xp on the drive and copy windows file
In the next screen use your arrow key to point “ format the partition using the NTFS file system (quick) “then press enter to select it. Your system will format the drive and copy installation files. After that your computer will restart, when it does it will still show you the same message “press any key to boot from cd” don’t press anything. Your computer will start setting up windows xp professional first it will install the devices on your computer and then gives you dialog window first you type in your name and company name then press next and enter the product key of windows xp professional you are installing and press next then the installation process continues.
After setting up windows your computer will restart. Then it takes you to a screen where you have to setup a user profile. When the screen comes up enter your user and press next. And restart your computer that’s it. You have installed windows xp professional.

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Downgrade laptop from windows vista to windows xp

2008-12-28T13:00:00.001+01:00

The introduction of Windows vista has caused numerous challenges in the computer world. From consuming of computer memory, software incompatibility and others including the challenge of trying to downgrade you laptop or desktop from windows vista to windows xp.

Do you have a laptop or desktop that came with windows vista installed on it, and you want to downgrade it back to windows xp.
Did you buy a new hard drive and you want to install windows xp on it and it tells you that no hard drive was found.
In this short article I will be showing you the tricks to downgrade your laptop to windows xp.

Firstly, power your computer and enter the BIOS setup. For most motherboards the button to enter the BIOS is F1, F2, F10, and DELETE
When you turn on your laptop or desktop computer, keep pressing these buttons one will take you to the BIOS. Then inside the BIOS setup utility, locate “Sata native support” under system configuration, and then disable it. Press f10 to save and exit the BIOS setup.

Insert windows xp cd in the cd rom drive. Restart the computer and set it to boot from cd rom drive. For some computer F12, esc, F10 will take you to the boot menu select the cd rom drive and hit the enter button windows xp installation process starts. Install windows xp the way you normally do it.

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Simple steps to take when your computer refuse to come up

2008-12-21T10:11:00.001+01:00

How do you feel, when you press the power button on your computer and it refuse to turn but you shut it down yourself the last time you used it?
It is frustrating especially when it’s not just cable problem.
There are two major problems with computer
1. The computer refuse to power on
2. The computer is on but it does not boot to desktop may be it always restarts on the way.

In this article, I will be showing you series of troubleshooting tips to take when your computer to on.

First, check the AC current, if it is up to your normal AC rating in your country. Over here in Nigeria, I will check if the AC current is up to 230-240 Volts because that is the normal current in Nigeria. If it is, that means it can power the computer.

Check the power pack: check your power pack if it smells burnt that means the power pack is blown. Some power pack has a switch that can switch to either 110 volts or 230 Volts. If that is how your power pack is then switch it to your country’s current rating.
Now you are sure that the power pack is ok and the current can carry your computer.
Make sure the computer is correctly connected. If it is rightly connected, power the computer. If the computer does not come up,

Check the ram: how do you check the ram? Make sure that the power cord is not connected , Open the computer system unit look if your computer has two ram slot, if it does then remove the ram and clean it also dust the slot with a brush, then insert the ram in the other slot. Connect the power cord and power the computer now. If it is not coming up.

Check the Cmos battery: use a tester to check the battery voltage if it reads lower that 2.5 volts then may be it’s the cmos battery. Change the cmos battery, Next check your cmos jumper and make sure that the cmos jumper cap is in pin 1 and 2, and power the computer. If it does not come up then do what is called isolation.

Isolating system component: this means that you have to isolate all the system component and start reinstalling them one after the other. Finally check if your processor is good.

Check Processor: How do you check processor? Uninstall the cooling fan and heat sink, insert the processor without the cooling fan and heat sink, them connect other component and power the computer. Place your hand on the processor to know if the processor is hot or cold if its cold that means the processor is bad and vice versa. If you can replace the processor, then replace it. If you cannot then say good bye to the computer cause it’s gone.

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